Plateau Masscre: Buhari To Honour Imam Who Saved 300 Christians
Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State has on Monday revealed the plans of President Muhammadu Buhari to confer a national Honour award on the Imam of Yelwa, Gidin-Akwati, Alh. Abdullahi Abubakar, for saving 300 Christian during the recent massacre in Barkin-Ladi Local Government Area of the state.
Abubakar stood the test of time on June 24 when suspected herdsmen invaded about 15 communities in Barkin Ladi LGA, killing scores by hiding Christians in his house and mosque.
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However, the bandits caught up with the Imam but he deceived them that all those in the mosque were Muslims, so they left.
Lalong made this known during the opening ceremony of a three-day peace and security conference with the theme, “The resurgence of violence in Plateau State: Towards a multi-stakeholder partnership for peace and security.”
“We have discussed the positive role played by the Imam of Yelwa, Gindi-Akwati, Alhaji Abdullahi Abubakar in the recent attacks in some villages of Barkin-Ladi Local Government and how he saved 300 women and children in a community of about 1000 people. The President has asked me to bring him for a handshake and to confer on him a National Honour Award,” Lalong said.
“The people he saved are not only Plateau people but they are Nigerians. We should imbibe this same spirit anywhere we found ourselves for the enthronement of enduring peace and unity in our country; this is because life is sacrosanct.”
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Also speaking at the event, the Deputy Chief of Mission and Charge de Affaires, US Embassy in Nigeria, David Young, lauded the action of the Imam as he employed citizens to work for peace.
“Those who work for peace do not belong to one group or another, they are not just Muslims or Christians, they are individuals who give up their lives for good and fight evil.
“This man is a challenge to all of us; think about what you do every day. Do you take risks for peace? Would you put your life on the line to protect people from other communities? Think about what that means to us, to your country and to our world,” he charged.
