Muslim – A resident of Filin Ball community in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State, Sa’idu Murtala, has explained how a Christian saved his life during an attack on Anguwan Rukuba community last Sunday, March 29.
Gunmen stormed the village on Palm Sunday and carried out attacks that led to the death of over 20 persons.
Narrating his ordeal to Daily Trust, Murtala, a garden egg seller, said he was attending to customers around 7:30 p.m. when he began to hear gunshots after discussing closing time with his friend, Hassan, who sells sugarcane.
He said as residents scrambled for safety, a Christian man opened his house and offered him shelter, hiding him inside and calming his fears despite the tense situation in the area.
Murtala added that the man sheltered him in his wife’s room, provided him with food, and ensured his safety throughout the night before contacting his father the following day to come and pick him up.
He said the man was aware of his Muslim faith, as he regularly conducted business in the area, and still chose to protect him, noting that he would never forget the act of kindness.
Murtala, however, said that his friend, Hassan, who sells sugarcane, remains missing, as his phone number has not been reachable since the incident.
The garden egg seller said the experience had taught him that people are not the same, noting that both Christianity and Islam have individuals of good and bad character.
He added that he believes the man’s action reflects the possibility of peaceful coexistence and prayed that God would reward him for saving his life.
According to him, “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 7:30 and asked him when we were supposed to go home. He suggested we stay until 9 pm. 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. All of a sudden, a Christian man quickly opened his house and hid me inside. I completely lost my senses, thinking I would be killed because the situation was terrifying as people around were angry.
“He hid me in his wife’s room and asked his wife to bring food for me. 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.
“He knows I am a Muslim because I used to do my business there everyday and leave for my area. He knows my faith. My phone, which I gave to one Monday for charging, was also returned after the situation was calm. All of them know I am a Muslim. I will never forget this man who saved my life,
“It was a lesson to me, and that all persons cannot be the same. In both Christianity and Islam, there are good and bad people. But if all people were like this man who saved my life, the world would be at peace. I don’t have anything to pay him back, but I believe Allah will reward him for what he did. Allah would definitely open his doors”
