RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AWARD:
United States honor 82 year old Nigerian Imam ABDULLAHI ABUBAKAR who saved over 260 Christians from Herdsmen deadly attack
*Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo host the first-ever International Religious Freedom Awards
* Award celebrates extraordinary advocates of religious freedom from around the world
*Other award winners: Mohamed Yosaif Abdalrahan (Sudan), Ivanir dos Santos (Brazil), William and Pascale Warda (Iraq) and Salpy Eskidjian Weiderud (Cyprus)
* “Imam Abdullahi’s courage in the face of imminent danger and his history of outreach across religious divides demonstrates his lifelong commitment to promoting interfaith understanding and peace”-U.S. STATE Department
* ‘We awarded Abubakar the Nigerian Star in recognition of achievement and service to Nigeria and Nigerians. He is a peace builder who put his faith into action by securing the lives of people of other religions.’-U.S. Embassy in Nigeria
BY GEORGE ELIJAH OTUMU/AMERICAN FOREIGN BUREAU CHIEF
HONOR HAS COME FOR A NIGERIAN MUSLIM IMAN, ABDULLAHI ABUBAKAR WHO PLACED HIS LIFE ON LINE TO SAVE OVER 260 CHRISTIANS FROM THE BLOOD-THIRSTY BOKO HARAM TERRORISTS ATTACK IN PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA. United States specially recognized outstanding men and women across the world who go out of their ways to save other human beings in any inter-religious crisis.
In view of this remarkable feat, the United States has conferred Religious Freedom Award on Imam Abdullahi Abubakar, who saved hundreds of Christians during an attack from suspected herdsmen.
The first-ever International Religious Freedom Awards ceremony was hosted by Secretary Pompeo on last week in the United States. The award honours extraordinary advocates of religious freedom from around the world.
Abubakar received the award alongside Mohamed Yosaif Abdalrahan (Sudan), Ivanir dos Santos (Brazil), William and Pascale Warda (Iraq) and Salpy Eskidjian Weiderud (Cyprus).“Imam Abdullahi’s courage in the face of imminent danger and his history of outreach across religious divides demonstrates his lifelong commitment to promoting interfaith understanding and peace,” US State Department said in a brief profile of the imam published on its website.
The 84years old Chief Imam of Nghar village in Gashish District in Plateau State was widely hailed after he hid some would-be victims of herdsmen violence in his mosque on June 23, 2018.
Abubakar hid the women in his house and after that, took the men into the mosque and hid them there. The assailants, however, caught up with the Imam, forcefully demanding that he release those who were Christians in the mosque.
But the cleric said he deceived the bandits that all those in the mosque were Muslims and upon hearing this, the attackers left him and continued with their killing elsewhere.
In a tweet in May, the US Embassy in Nigeria said it awarded Abubakar the Nigerian Star, “in recognition of achievement and service to Nigeria and Nigerians.”
The Embassy described the Imam as a “peace builder” who put his “faith into action” by securing the lives of people of other religions.
