The police in Sokoto on Thursday said two suspects have been taken into custody in connection with the lynching earlier in the day of Deborah Samuel, a student of Shehu Shagari College of Education.

Sokoto police spokesman Sanusi Abubakar said in a statement Thursday evening that the mob overpowered campus security before killing the female student and setting her remains on fire.

The security outpost was also burnt in a violent outbreak that forced school authorities to shut down the campus immediately and sent students home.

“At about 0900hrs, a distress call was received from Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, stating that students were rioting over one female student named Deborah Samuel, a level two student, who was accused of making a social media post that blasphemed the holy prophet Muhammad (SAW).

“Students forcefully removed the victim from the security room where she was hidden by the school authorities, killed her and burnt the building. The students banded together with miscreants and barricaded the Sokoto/Jega road.

“Upon receiving the information, the DC Operations led a team of policemen and all other operational commanders in the state to the school where the road was cleared and the situation was brought under control. Two students were arrested in connection with the crime committed. The school has been closed down by the school authority, and policemen were deployed to give tight security coverage.

“The Commissioner of Police, Sokoto State Command, CP Kamaldeen Okunlola fdc,mnim, is appealing to members of the public to go about their lawful activities and should not panic as the situation is under control.

“Meanwhile, the suspects in the viral video on Twitter were spotted and will be nailed soon,” Mr Abubakar, an assistant superintendent of police, said.