Blasphemy: Why I Deleted Tweet Condemning Deborah Samuel’s Killing, Atiku Reveals

• Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar said he deleted the tweet condemning the killing of Deborah Samuel over alleged blasphemy because it was not approved
• Atiku, a PDP presidential aspirant, said every post on his official social media pages must get his approval before publication
• The Adamawa-born opposition politician added that he is never afraid to take a stand on critical issues

Benin, Edo state - Nigeria's former vice president, Abubakar Atiku, says every post on his official social media handles must get his approval before publication.

Atiku stated this while explaining the circumstances that led to the deletion of a tweet condemning the murder of Deborah Samuel who was accused of blasphemy in Sokoto state on his official Twitter handle, @atiku.

In the tweet, Atiku had said that there cannot be any justification for Deborah's murder and asked that those responsible for her death be brought to book.

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The post was soon taken down, generating a lot of social media backlash as many claim that the tweet was deleted in a bid to avoid unfavourable political consequences, especially from the northern region.

The former vice president, however, said the tweet was deleted because it did not get his approval, noting that he is not afraid of taking stands on any issue, Leadership reported.

Atiku, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential aspirant, explained the reason why the posted was deleted when he paid a consultative visit to Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo at the Government House, Benin.

He said:

“Every tweet has to get my expressed approval but this one didn’t so I asked them to take it down.

“I took a stand about Sharia law and was abused, thrown stones at, but how long did it last? Despite that I didn’t change my position on that. I am not afraid to take a stand on critical issues," he said.

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Deborah Samuel: Sultan of Sokoto reacts to killing, burning of student, makes strong demand

Meanwhile, the Sultan of Sokoto has condemned the gruesome killing and burning of the 200-level student of Shehu Shagari College of Education in Sokoto state.

The condemnation by Sultan Sa'ad Abubakar III came barely hours after the incident which caused outrage across media space and the polity happened.

Abubakar also called on residents of Sokoto state to remain calm while urging security operatives to fish out the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

Source: Legit.ng