Ahmad: Mob Violence, Not Sharia Law, Killed Deborah Samuel

Bashir Ahmad, the former media aide to the late President Muhammadu Buhari, has engaged in a sharp public commentary concerning the tragic 2022 killing of student Deborah Samuel in Sokoto, offering a crucial distinction between the religious legal system and the act of mob violence. Ahmad firmly asserted on his verified X account on Monday that the lynching was “an act of extrajudicial mob violence” that bore “absolutely nothing to do with Sharia law.” His intervention aims to clarify widespread misconceptions regarding the application of Islamic jurisprudence in such cases.

Ahmad’s core argument centered on the premise that what occurred was pure vigilantism, a practice he stressed Islam completely prohibits and for which it prescribes severe penalties. He emphasized that under no circumstance does Sharia law sanction mob action, lynching, or individuals taking the law into their own hands, even in response to grave religious offenses. He insisted that the legal process under Sharia is meticulously structured, requiring any accusation, including that of blasphemy, to be formally presented before a competent Sharia court. Such a court, he noted, is mandated to adhere to due process, including the presentation of evidence and the guarantee of legal representation for the accused.

Delving into the legal standing of the victim, Ahmad provided a critical legal clarification often overlooked in public discourse. “In fact, under Sharia law, Deborah could not have been prosecuted because she was not a Muslim and Sharia criminal liabilities apply only to believers,” he asserted. This legal distinction suggests that, even if formal charges had been pursued, the criminal aspect of Sharia law would not have applied to the student, who was Christian. This point challenges the simplistic narrative often used to condemn the entire legal system.

Furthermore, Ahmad turned the principle of Sharia against the perpetrators of the violence, arguing that it is the mob itself that violated the very religious law they claimed to uphold. He suggested that if the individuals who unlawfully killed Deborah were to be tried under the actual provisions of Sharia law, they could potentially face the death penalty. He quoted the fundamental principles of retribution embedded in the system: “The Sharia principle is very clear ‘a soul for a soul’ and ‘an eye for an eye’.” This interpretation reframes the mob’s actions as not only a crime against the state but also a profound transgression against the established legal and ethical framework of the religion. The intervention by the former presidential aide serves as a significant legal and theological counter-narrative to the prevailing international condemnation that often conflates the actions of a criminal mob with the formal processes of Sharia law. Deborah Samuel, it is recalled, was tragically killed in 2022 by a group of male Muslim students after being accused of insulting Prophet Mohammed on a social media platform.