Buhari invites Imam who saved 300 people for handshake, national honour

President Muhammadu Buhari has invited Imam Abdullahi Abubakar to Abuja for "a handshake and national honour" for his heroic act of saving the lives of 300 people, mainly Christians, during the recent killings in Plateau State.

Muslim Fulani herdsmen were reported to have killed at least 100 people in several communities in Barkin Ladi local government area of Plateau State between Saturday, June 23 and Sunday, June 24.

When some of the fleeing locals ran to Nghar village in Gashish District, Imam Abubakar hid hundreds of people in his house and mosque to shield them from the attackers.

Many of those the Imam provided shelter for were indigenous Berom people, mostly Christians, who were believed to be the primary targets of the devastating attacks.

"I took the women to my personal house first to hide them before I hid the men inside the mosque," he told BBC Pidgin in June.

When the attackers came around to ask the Imam to surrender Christians under his protection, he lied that they were all Muslims and begged them to go. His relentless persuasion eventually resulted in the attackers leaving the area without hurting anyone else.

While speaking during the opening of a three-day peace and security conference in Jos on Monday, July 30, 2018, Plateau governor, Simon Lalong, disclosed that President Buhari has instructed that arrangements be made to take the 83-year-old Imam to Abuja to honour his bravery.

He said, "The President has told me to bring Imam Abdullahi Abubakar for a hand shake which will be followed by a national honour. I was also preparing what to do for this man. Although he is already in his old age, God knows why he did it at that age for us to study and also know how to maintain peace, not only in Plateau State but in Nigeria in general.

"What he did not only saved the people of Barkin Ladi LGA, not only Plateau State but I think the whole of this country because 300 lives is not a small number. So, Alhaji Abdullahi Abubakar, only God will reward you for what you have done.

“We are waiting for that process of meeting the President for a handshake and national honour. Having a handshake with Mr President at the age of 83, I think the man will be happy, even if he is going to his grave, that something has happened in his life."

79 people were buried in the fields of Nghar after the devastating attacks.

US diplomat praises Imam's courage

The Deputy Chief of Mission and Charge de Affaires, US Embassy in Nigeria, David Young, also praised the Imam for the risk he took to save the lives of hundreds of strangers.

"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 goodness 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 said.

He also called on law enforcement agencies to make sure to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators of such evil attacks so that others will be dissuaded from following the same path.