Masa-Udu Abdullahi, son of the late Muslim cleric Abubakar Abdullahi, has explained how his father sheltered Christians during the 2018 communal violence in Plateau State.
Cleric Abdullahi, who was the chief imam of Akwati Mosque in Nghar community, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, sheltered about 300 Christians during attacks on communities in the area.
Speaking in an interview with Punch, Mr Masa-Udu said he was present when the incident happened and witnessed how his father intervened.
“A crisis broke out, and some attackers decided to kill Christians living in our community,” he said.
“It happened in broad daylight, between 3.30 pm and 3.40 pm.”
He said the incident occurred shortly before the Asr prayer, when gunshots were heard across the village.
“We were about to observe Asr prayer when we saw Christians running towards our house. They were running for their lives,” he said.
Masa-Udu said the Christians were fleeing their homes in Nghar and heading towards Yelwa when his father decided to open the mosque to them.
“My father saw how terrified they were and opened the mosque for them to come in,” he said.
“Our house and the mosque were at the end of the village, and some people were hidden inside our house.”
He said the attackers later approached the mosque, prompting his father and his assistant to confront them.
“As the attackers came close, my father and his assistant met them and stopped them,” he said.
“He spoke to them calmly and tried to dissuade them from attacking the people hiding in the mosque and the house.”
According to him, the attackers attempted to search the premises.
“Some of them detected that we had people in the house, and my father quickly went to block them again,” he said.
He added that the attackers eventually withdrew.
“God was kind, and the herdsmen left,” he said. “After they left, we entered the bush and saw that many people had been killed.”
Masa-Udu said the attackers were more than 100 and were armed.
He said the Christians remained in the mosque for four days after the attack.
“They stayed for four days before they left,” he said. “The crisis had reduced, and the government later came to move them to a safer place.”
According to him, his father and members of the Muslim community provided food and shelter for the displaced persons.
“It was my father, with the help of the Muslim community, who fed them,” he said. “We took care of about 300 people.”
He said Muslims continued to observe prayers in the mosque during that period.
“Muslims were praying in the same mosque, and the Christians were there watching,” he said.
“They were afraid to go out because we thought the attackers might still be around.”
Masa-Udu said his father faced no opposition for sheltering Christians.
“There was no criticism from anyone,” he said. “People from our community and neighbouring villages supported him.”
He said his father believed in fairness and coexistence and taught his children to treat people equally.
“He always told us to be kind to people, regardless of religion or tribe,” he said. “He practised what he taught.”
Abubakar Abdullahi died in December 2025 at the age of 92.
He came to national attention in 2018 after sheltering Christians during attacks in Barkin Ladi and neighbouring communities.
In 2019, he received the International Religious Freedom Award from the United States government for his actions during the crisis.
