How President Buhari plans to honour Imam who saved 300 Christians during Plateau killings

macfranc007 July 31, 2018 Nigeria News today & Breaking news ▷ Read Naija news 24/7 Kess Ewubare

- Imam Abdullahi Abubakar is to get a presidential handshake for reportedly rescuing 300 Christians from being killed by suspected herdsmen

- Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau state says God will reward the cleric for the good he has done

- President Buhari advocates for inter-regional collaboration on maritime security to fight against terrorism

President Muhammadu Buhari is set to honour the 83-year-old Imam, Abdullahi Abubakar, who reportedly saved about 300 persons in June 24, 2018, when suspected Fulani herdsmen killed over 200 in 15 communities in the Barkin Ladi local government area of Plateau state.

The Punch reports that the president has asked Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau state to bring the Imam to Abuja for a handshake and national honour.

Imam Abdullahi Abubakar was reported to have saved many Christians fleeing from a neighbouring village in the Barkin Ladi LGA by hiding them in his house and mosque.

Governor Lalong on Monday, July 30 during the opening ceremony of a three-day peace and security conference in the state, said God will reward the cleric for the good he has done.

“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," Governor Lalong said.

“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.”

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The event themed: The resurgence of violence in Plateau State: Towards a multi-stakeholder partnership for peace and security, was was organised by the Plateau state peace building agency in collaboration with the United States institute for peace, justice and security and financed by the US embassy in Nigeria.

Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday, July 30, in Lome, Togo, advocated for inter-regional collaboration on maritime security, to fight against terrorism and other crimes through effective border control.

The president made the call while contributing to the consideration and adoption of the Draft Declaration by the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in the Togolese capital.

The president’s senior special assistant on media and publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in a statement in Abuja, said the draft declaration was on peace, security, stability and the fight against terrorism and violent extremism.

According to the Nigerian leader, Nigeria’s collaboration with the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC), which is mandated to protect the environment, is existential because of the imperative to preserve the Lake Chad.

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