In Memory of Imam Abdullahi Abubakar

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If you don’t know Imam Abubakar Abdullahi, it is not your fault. In Nigeria, it is rabble rousers, bigots, impostors, clout chasers and merchants of malice that usually dominate the airwaves. If you want to become a social media sensation, the pathway is so smooth: just post something silly, inciting, acidic or ignorant. In no time, you will get a million views, hundreds of thousands of reposts, and thousands of comments. That is the new world disorder. Say or do something sensible that seeks to build peace and tolerance or promote knowledge and insight — and you would be lucky to escape lynching, electronically speaking. Those who seek to bring sanity to our troubled world are often repelled.

That is why the name Imam Abubakar Abdullahi may not ring a bell. On June 23, 2018, the endless Berom/Fulani communal crisis in Plateau state — a tragic story of attacks and reprisals dating back decades — erupted again. This time, it was across 10 Berom villages in Barkin Ladi LGA. Suspected Fulani militias launched co-ordinated attacks on the Berom communities midday. Abdullahi, the chief imam of Akwatti Mosque in Nghar, a community in Barkin Ladi, was just rounding off prayers when he heard gunshots and saw the pandemonium as Christian villagers ran helter-skelter for dear lives. The chief imam did the unthinkable: he opened his mosque and home to the 262 fleeing Christians.

Sadly, over 80 villagers were still killed but the imam saved hundreds of lives, including those of Muslims who were also running away from counterattacks. In the end, it is defenceless Nigerians that are always the victims. For background, the Fulani are mostly herders and Muslims, while the Berom are mainly farmers and Christians. They have a history of deadly conflicts. I think the turning point was in September 2001 when a federal political appointment tore them apart, leading to 1,000 deaths and mass displacement. The enmity is rooted in land disputes, with the classification of people as “indigenes” and “settlers”. Thousands have been killed in subsequent attacks and reprisals.

The peace in Plateau state is so fragile that violence frequently breaks out. It could be over anything and nothing, including flimsy rumours. It is a permanent state of bitterness. That is what happens when rancour overcomes reason. This should put into context the uncommon heroism of the imam, who drew his last breath on the morning of Friday, January 16, two weeks after his 92nd birthday. Abdullahi was 86 at the time of his gallantry. He was honoured by the US with the 2019 International Religious Freedom Award given to advocates of religious freedom. The late President Muhammadu Buhari also conferred on him the national honour of Member of the Order of the Niger (MON).

Abdullahi was not a clout chaser or a rabble rouser. He had no social media account. He was just a genuine human being with a genuine human heart doing what God expects of everyone who claims to be a believer. “Thou shalt not murder” is a core commandment of God preached by Christianity, Islam and Judaism, even though people have found a way around it by quoting a million scriptures as justification. That is how religious hate works: ignore the passages that preach love and play up the ones that tend to suggest retribution within certain contexts and situations. The scriptures set before us life and death, so we choose life for ourselves and death for those we hate. That is how it goes.

In a society where you are automatically expected to hate those hated by your kinsmen and brethren, it is very dangerous to buck the trend. You are putting yourself in the line of fire. The conventional wisdom is that as a Christian, you must take sides with Christians on all matters and at all times, regardless of the facts on the ground and the logic therein. As a Muslim, you must take sides with Muslims on all matters and at all times, regardless of the facts on the ground and the logic therein. Christians and Muslims who refuse to toe the lines of other Christians and Muslims are labelled as betrayers and traitors, or even slaves. Same applies to ethnic and sectional sentiments.

And that is why Abdullahi should be eternally etched in our national memory. As a Muslim — an imam for that matter — he was expected to support the militias since they were “fighting” for fellow Muslims. He was not expected to protect Christians. But hear him: “Prophet Muhammad (SAW) preached to Christians, pagans and idol worshippers. He had a cordial and peaceful relationship with everybody regardless of their religion.” He could cite several verses in the Quran to justify handing over the Christians to the militias — as some people in his position would do — but he chose the glorious verses that call God “Al-Rahman” (Most Gracious) and “Al-Raheem” (Most Merciful).

If Abdullahi had chosen to protect only Muslims, who were also running away from reprisals, it would have been considered acceptable. (By the way, Plateau killings are not as one-sided as media reports suggest, but it is what it is). Nobody would have blamed the chief imam for protecting his “own”. However, the cleric decided to open his doors to both Muslim and Christian refugees. For once, Muslims and Christians found comfort and protection under the same roof, something the political leaders could not do. Wow! You cannot make that up. This incident taught me a lot of lessons about humanity and challenged some of my notions about religious discord in Nigeria.

One lesson for me is that despite indications to the contrary, we still have good Nigerians who are ready to risk their lives for the good of others. My wife told me something two years ago that I have continued to observe: we tend to judge human beings by the misconduct of a few, but there are many, many good men and women out there. That was what the imam demonstrated. He took a big risk that could have ended his life but he considered it worthwhile because he was doing good. “I was threatened, and my life was in danger. I even fell down because of the confusion. But because they saw that I am an old man, they left me and went elsewhere,” he later said in an interview.

The second lesson, which remains a mystery to me, is: how on earth did the Christians trust the imam to keep them safe in his mosque and home? In a society where mutual suspicion and mutual hate are the order of the day, how did hundreds of Christians trust a Muslim cleric to keep them from harm? That is baffling. That is not the regular story we hear about violent conflicts, much less a religious one. It is not impossible that they had heard good things about Abdullahi long before the crisis. Your good deeds will always advertise you to the world. You cannot hide your light. I am convinced that people knew him to be a good man. That should be why they felt safe with him.

Despite the religious animosity in the world, I have never heard one person argue that it is not the same God that created Christians, Muslims and everyone else. That same God said: “Thou shall not murder.” Regardless of how we choose to practise our religions, Imam Abubakar Abdullahi remains a shining example that must be immortalised. He chose love above hate. He should be well celebrated as a role model to people of all faiths. “If you value human life, you won’t have the mind to kill somebody,” he said. The good news is that there are many Abdullahis out there — people who eschew bigotry and see every human life as precious before God. We need to celebrate them.

I, therefore, propose that an award for religious tolerance should be instituted in honour of Imam Abubakar Abdullahi to promote peace, tolerance and harmony in our troubled communities. We spend so much time and energy giving awards to buccaneers who are trampling on Nigeria’s progress. Maybe we should also create a small space for those who are putting in a decent shift in their own corners to save lives and heal wounds. The quest for peace and harmony is the duty of every Nigerian, but some are working hard day and night to set Nigeria on fire. That is why the peacemakers must be celebrated. Love must trump hate and reason must defeat rancour.

AND FOUR OTHER THINGS…

RIP, YAKUBU MOHAMMED

Mr Yakubu Mohammed, journalism legend and co-founder of the iconic Newswatch, died on Wednesday. He was 75. Coming shortly after the death of Mr Dan Agbese, also a co-founder of Newswatch, Mohammed’s passing shocked me. In the past year, we interacted regularly around the publication of his memoir, ‘Beyond Expectations’, and there was no hint of illness. I first met him in 1990 when I was at the University of Lagos and we were setting up a magazine called Campus News. Lanre Issa-Onilu and I met with him at the publisher’s house, where he gave us a pep talk. Newswatch helped with the typesetting of the first edition. He was a pureblood professional. Adieu.

BEAUTIFUL BRIDE

Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the strongman of Kano politics, is leaving us endlessly guessing on his immediate future. Will he remain in the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and run for president in 2027? Will he defect to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and gun for the presidential ticket or agree to be a running mate? Or will he defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)? What will the APC give him, since there is already a vice-president in place who will likely be retained by President Bola Tinubu? I suspect that even Kwankwaso himself does not know what option to pick yet. My sense is that he wants to be president someday and he is still doing his maths. Relevance.

GO AHEAD, EAGLES!

With a surprise run in the Africa Cup of Nations, the Super Eagles raised the hopes of millions of Nigerians that a fourth title was on its way. I had never enjoyed watching the Super Eagles so much since the days of Clemens Westerhof in the 1990s. But our hopes evaporated in the semi-final against Morocco, the host nation, who managed to neutralise our deadly attack. A lot has been said about the quality of officiating — which, in my opinion, was suspicious — but the truth also is that we met a very good and well-organised team. We still managed to take the game to penalties, which are a lottery. I hope we will build on this credible outing and not start all over again. Encouraging.

NO COMMENT Those who lobbied US President Donald Trump to “take action” on Nigeria must be wondering if their dollars and energy are going to waste. What I was reading on social media before now was that Trump would bomb Nigeria, free Christians from “genocide”, seize President Bola Tinubu and install their idol or break up the country. So far, the signs are not that extravagant. The US threw a few bombs into Sokoto villages and that was it. Tinubu is still president. The US Africa Command has just delivered critical military supplies to Nigeria in support of the country’s ongoing security operations. Is this what tthe campaigners wanted? Or should we say Trump did not get the memo? Hahahaha.