Heroic act: Christian shelters Muslim trader during Plateau deadly attack

In the aftermath of a deadly attack that claimed at least 28 lives in the Angwan Rukuba community of Jos North Local Government Area, a Muslim garden egg seller, Sa’idu Murtala, has recounted how a Christian man risked his life to protect him during the violence.

The attack, which occurred on Sunday evening at a popular bar in the area, sent shockwaves across nearby communities. Panic erupted as residents fled, with sporadic gunshots echoing through the neighborhood.

Murtala, who was attending to customers around 7:30 p.m., described the terrifying scene. “I used to do business around the Rukuba community. I used to sell garden eggs. Around 7:30, I told my friend Hassan, who used to sell sugarcane, that it was already late and asked when we were supposed to go home. He suggested we stay until 9 p.m.,” he said.

Moments later, gunmen opened fire. “The moment I turned to where I displayed my garden eggs to attend to customers, I started hearing gunshots. Everybody was looking for somewhere to hide,” he said.

Murtala said a Christian man opened his house and hid him in his wife’s room, ensuring he was fed and safe throughout the night. “He did everything to calm my mind. I spent the night in his house, and the following day he called my father, who later came and picked me up after the situation was okay,” Murtala recounted.

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Reflecting on the ordeal, he said, “The experience reinforced my belief that people of different faiths can coexist peacefully. He knows I am a Muslim because I used to do my business there every day. I will never forget this man who saved my life. It was a lesson to me that not all people are the same. In both Christianity and Islam, there are good and bad people. If all people were like this man who saved my life, the world would be at peace.”

Murtala’s friend Hassan, the sugarcane seller, remains missing as efforts to locate him have so far been unsuccessful.

In response to the attack, the Plateau State Government imposed a 48-hour curfew in Jos North to restore calm. Governor Caleb Mutfwang urged residents to remain law-abiding, assuring them that security agencies were actively pursuing the perpetrators.

The incident evokes memories of similar interfaith bravery during the 2018 Plateau attacks, when Muslim cleric Abdullahi Abubakar sheltered at least 300 Christians in his mosque after bandit raids devastated Barkin Ladi communities.

Abubakar’s courageous act earned him national and international recognition, including a nomination for the national honour of Member of the Order of the Niger (MON) and the United States International Religious Freedom Award. The revered cleric passed away in January at the age of 92.