Sa’idu Murtala, a garden egg seller in Jos North LGA, has
recounted how a Christian man saved his life during the attack on Angwan Rukuba
community in Plateau state.
At least 28 residents were killed on Sunday after gunmen
opened fire at a popular bar in a community in Jos North LGA of the state
The attack triggered panic across nearby communities, with
residents fleeing for safety as sporadic gunshots echoed through the area.
According to Daily Trust, Murtala was attending to customers
around 7:30pm when the gunmen struck.
Murtala, who is a Muslim, said the Christian man sheltered
him in his wife’s room and ensured he was safe throughout the night.
“I used to do business around the Rukuba community. I used
to sell garden eggs. Around 7:30, I told my friend Hassan, who used to sell
sugarcane, that it was already late and asked when we were supposed to go home.
He suggested we stay until 9pm,” Daily Trust quoted Murtala as saying.
“The moment I turned to where I displayed my garden eggs to
attend to customers, I started hearing gunshots. Everybody was looking for
somewhere to hide.
“All of a sudden, a Christian man quickly opened his house
and hid me inside. I completely lost my senses, thinking I would be killed
because the situation was terrifying.
“He hid me in his wife’s room and asked his wife to bring
food for me. He did everything to calm my mind. I spent the night in his house,
and the following day he called my father, who later came and picked me up
after the situation was okay.”
The trader said the experience reinforced his belief that
people of different faiths can coexist peacefully.
Murtala added that his friend, Hassan, who sold sugarcane in
the area, is still missing, as efforts to reach him have been unsuccessful.
“He knows I am a Muslim because I used to do my business
there every day. I will never forget this man who saved my life,” he said.
“It was a lesson to me that not all persons are the same. In
both Christianity and Islam, there are good and bad people. If all people were
like this man who saved my life, the world would be at peace.”
In the wake of the attack, the Plateau state government
imposed a 48-hour curfew in Jos North to douse tension.
Caleb Mutfwang, governor of the state, urged residents not
to take the law into their hands, assuring that security agencies are working
to track down the perpetrators.
MUSLIM CLERIC SHELTERED 300 CHRISTIANS DURING 2018
PLATEAU ATTACKS
A similar incident occurred on June 23, 2018, when Abdullahi
Abubakar, a Muslim cleric, sheltered at least 300 Christians in his mosque
after suspected bandits attacked communities across Barkin Ladi during the 2018
Plateau attacks.
The assault left the community in disarray, with many
residents killed.
Abubakar’s courageous act earned him national and
international recognition. He was nominated for the national honour of Member
of the Order of the Niger (MON) by the federal government and received a
handshake from the late President Muhammadu Buhari in recognition of his
bravery.
In 2019, he was also awarded the United States International
Religious Freedom Award.
Abubakar, the chief imam of Nghar village in Barkin Ladi
LGA, passed on in January at the age of 92.
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