The 86-year-old Islamic cleric Imam Abdullahi Abubakar, in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, who risked his life to hide 262 Christians in a mosque during a clash in Yelwa Gindi Village, will receive a National Honour four years after his heroic feat.
The Awards will be presented by President Muhammadu Buhari today October 11, 2022, at the State House Abuja.
Notably, the U.S. Department of State presented an annual award for courageous acts in upholding religious freedom anywhere in the world on the 17th of July, 2019,
One of the five people honored with the International Religious Freedom Award is Imam Abubakar Abdullahi, the Muslim religious leader who selflessly risked his own life to save Christians who would have likely been killed without his intervention.
Four religious leaders from Sudan, Iraq, Brazil, and Cyprus along with Abdullahi were also awarded the 2019 International Religious Freedom Award. The award, as the name suggests, is given to advocates of religious freedom.
Abdullahi Abubakar earned his place on the list of those to be awarded by the President due to his heroic act on June 23, 2018, for protecting Christians who were fleeing attacks from Muslim herdsmen who had launched coordinated attacks on Christian farmers in 10 villages in the Barkin Ladi area of Plateau State at the risk of his life.
The imam gave refuge to his Christian neighbors, sheltering 262 Christians in his mosque and his home, and then stood outside the doors confronting the Muslim attackers.
More than 80 people were killed in the attacks by suspected herders who also set fire to many homes in the villages.