Former presidential aide, Bashir Ahmad, has dared anyone to provide any form of evidence to back up their claims that he celebrated the murder of Deborah Yakubu, a young Christian student of the Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, who was brutally murdered by her classmates for allegedly making a blasphemous comment about Prophet Mohammed in their class Whatsapp group.
Following her gruesome murder in May 2022, many Nigerians demanded the arrest of the perpetrators of the heinous crime who were captured on camera boasting about murdering her.
Nine persons were arrested in connection with the murder. Some muslims condemned the arrest of the suspects as they insisted that according to their religion, death is the penalty for blasphemy.
Bashir Ahmad who was at the time, the Special Adviser to former President Buhari, was accused of tweeting in support of Deborah’s murder and demanding for the release of the nine suspects.
An unverified screenshot of him making this demand has made the rounds on social media.
On Friday, December 29, Bashir made a post stressing that Islam is a religion of peace and that those who carried out the murder in Plateau state are not Muslims.
However, some of his followers including a journalist commented on his post, stating that he lacks the moral stance to make such comments because he had the past, celebrated the murder of Deborah.
Responding to the comments on his page today December 30, Bashir asked anyone with evidence of him celebrating Deborah’s murder, to present it.
He wrote;
‘’I have consistently refrained from responding to accusations regarding my stance on Deborah’s tragic demise. However, considering your professional background, as stated in your bio – a journalist, researcher, and fact-checker – I feel it’s necessary to engage with you. You’ve accused me of “celebrating the brutal murder of an innocent woman under the guise of blasphemy last year.” I must firmly challenge this claim. I invite you or anyone to present any form of evidence – be it tweets, statements, screenshots, or any other material – that shows I have celebrated her murder.
Your profession, as indicated by your bio, implies a commitment to accuracy and factual reporting. This makes your accusation both surprising and disappointing. It is essential in any discourse, especially one as sensitive as this, to base assertions on evidence.
If no evidence is provided, it will be clear that this accusation was made without integrity and due regard for the truth, which I would find deeply disappointing from someone of your professional standing.”
