At least two parishes presided over by the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Hassan-Kukah, have been burnt by residents, suspected to be Muslims, who were protesting the arrest of two suspected killers of Deborah Yakubu, a 200-level Home Economics student of Shehu Shagari College of Education in Sokoto.
The Director, Social Communications of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Rev. Fr Christopher Omotosho, confirmed this on Saturday.
He said the rioters burnt the gatehouse of one of the church buildings and set a bus ablaze in the compound. He added that the second affected church was vandalised by the hoodlums.
Omotosho gave the names of the two churches as Holy Family Cathedral on Bello Way and St Kelvin Gidan Dere, Eastern Bypass.
The Muslim protesters had also clashed with security operatives who fired shots to disperse the surging demonstrators.
Governor Aminu Tambuwal subsequently imposed a curfew on the people of the state amid the tension.
Recall that Bishop Kukah had fiercely condemned Deborah’s killing and called for the arrest and prosecution of those behind it.
Meanwhile, the remains of late Deborah was on Saturday laid to rest in her hometown, Tungan Magajiya in Rijau Local Government Area of Niger State.
The deceased, it was gathered, had been living with family members in Sokoto since she was in primary school before her death.
CHECKPOINTCHARLEY 