By Ayuba Doekyil
There are days in history that we wish could be erased. For the people of Jos, Plateau State, the memory of the religious crisis that tore through the city still burns deep in the heart.
Though I was still a little child growing, we read and listened to the narratives, stories of lives cut short, homes destroyed, and a city thrown into sorrow.
In September 2001, what began as a small misunderstanding exploded into days of violence. Reports said more than 1,000 people lost their lives, while houses, shops, schools, and places of worship were reduced to ashes.
Thousands fled their homes, carrying only fear and grief. Later clashes in 2008, 2010, and 2011 brought even more destruction, leaving behind more graves and more broken families.
Those days should never return. Religion was never meant to divide us, but to guide us closer to God. Christians and Muslims in Plateau once lived side by side as neighbours, sharing water, food, and laughter. That is the Plateau spirit we must hold on to, not the bitterness that once tore us apart.
For the sake of those who died, for the tears of the living, and for the hope of generations yet unborn, we must say it clearly, never and never again.
Peace and tolerance are the only way forward.
We must see each other first as humans, first as Plateau people, and first as Nigerians, and to be united in our shared destiny.
May we ever live in peace till eternity!
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