Former Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has visited Plateau State as part of efforts to engage religious leaders and communities affected by violent attacks and promote stronger collaboration between Christians and Muslims in the state.
Welby, during his visit, met with Christian and Muslim leaders in Jos and visited communities affected by violence, including Angwan and parts of Bassa Local Government Area.
In Angwan, the former Archbishop condoled with families affected by the Palm Sunday attacks, while in Bassa, he delivered a message of hope to residents who have endured years of violence.
Welby was accompanied by the Founder of El-Buba Outreach Ministries International (EBOMI), Prophet Isa El-Buba; Rev. Steve Dangana; the Special Adviser on Religious Affairs to the Plateau State Governor; and the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Plateau State, Rev. Dr. Dunka Gomwalk.
As part of the visit, Welby held strategic discussions with members of the Plateau State Inter-Religious Advisory Council and later visited the Jos Central Mosque, where he met with Muslim leaders.
Speaking on the purpose of his visit, Welby said he was interested in supporting Christian and Muslim leaders to identify practical ways of preventing further attacks and protecting vulnerable communities.
He also called for sustained attention to peacebuilding, compassion and the protection of vulnerable people, drawing on his experiences from international peace missions.
Welby said the suffering of people affected by violence in Plateau was receiving attention internationally, adding that people around the world were praying for an end to the violence.
“My message is many people long to see this end and are praying for them around the world. Keep praying, keep working, keep vigilant and God will deliver,” he said.
He Also commended the Peace efforts of training local vigilante and cctv cameras recently put in place in communities.
During the visit to Bassa, His Royal Highness, Rt. Rev. Ronku Aka, who welcomed Welby, said the community had lost more than 3,000 people over the past decade as a result of violent attacks.
He appealed for continued prayers and greater efforts towards finding lasting solutions to the insecurity, stressing that development would remain difficult without peace.
Chairman of the Plateau State Inter-Religious Advisory Council, Rev. Dr. Pandam Yamsat, called on Christian and Muslim leaders to strengthen their cooperation in addressing insecurity.
Yamsat said religious leaders already possessed important elements of the solution to the peace challenges confronting Plateau State and should return to the table to jointly examine practical measures.
He said differences between the two faith communities should not prevent dialogue, adding that peace was achievable if both sides remained committed to working together.
“Peace is doable. If we want peace, we will have it on the Plateau,” Yamsat said.
Founder of EBOMI, Prophet Isa El-Buba, said the continued loss of lives across northern Nigeria required stronger action from both Christian and Muslim communities.
El-Buba described the loss of every human life as a loss to society, regardless of the victim’s religious or ethnic identity.
He called for greater collaboration between Christians and Muslims at the community level, saying religious differences should not be exploited to fuel violence.
According to him, his organisation has been working to bring people from both faiths together and also supporting programmes aimed at empowering vulnerable groups.
El-Buba further advocated programmes to provide Almajiri children with access to structured Islamic education and guidance, saying this could help reduce their vulnerability to extremist interpretations of religious teachings.
He stressed that peace was essential for development, noting that both Muslims and Christians benefit when communities are stable and secure.
At the Jos Central Mosque, the Chief Imam, Sheikh Ghazali Isma’ila Adam, identified youth involvement, stereotyping and political manipulation as some of the challenges affecting peace efforts.
He called for peace initiatives to move beyond meetings among elites and religious leaders to engage directly with young people and communities where conflicts occur.
The Chief Imam also advocated increased interaction between Christian and Muslim communities, including visits to one another’s places of worship, saying practical demonstrations of peaceful coexistence could help challenge negative stereotypes among younger generations.
The Director-General of the Plateau Peace Building Agency and Secretary of the Plateau State Inter-Religious Advisory Council, Dr. Julie Sanda, said the council’s work went beyond meetings and policy discussions, noting that religious leaders had accompanied peacebuilding teams to communities to comfort residents, listen to their concerns and demonstrate solidarity.
She thanked Welby for visiting Plateau and listening to the experiences of religious and community leaders, expressing hope that the engagement would lead to further collaboration and the sharing of peacebuilding experiences.
Welby’s visit comes amid renewed security concerns in parts of Plateau State, where the government, religious leaders and security agencies have continued engagements aimed at preventing attacks, strengthening community protection and promoting peaceful coexistence.
The former Archbishop had also earlier visited Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang.
