A cleric, Pastor Yohanna Buru, on Saturday described as ‘heart-warming’ the gesture of a female activist , Ramatu Tijjani, a Muslim, who secured the release of a Christian inmate from prison custody in the spirit of the Lenten period.
Buru, the General Overseer of Christ Evangelical Intercessory Fellowship Ministry,Kaduna, told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that he was happy to see a Muslim woman bail out a Christian inmate for the sole purpose of promoting peace and tolerance.
Buru prayed that God would reward Tijani for her gesture and warned people with criminal tendencies, to shun criminal activities.
In a separate interview with NAN, Tijani, a ‘Peace Activist’, said she bailed Yakubu Musa, a Christian inmate in Kaduna prison, to enable him partake in the 40 days fasting and prayer during the Lenten period.
According to her, the Lenten period is a sacred period to all Christians, especially Catholics around the world.
She said that Nigeria was in need of prayers, adding that the gesture was to encourage more people to pray for the country.
She noted that some inmates were being held in prisons across the country, even though they were not guilty of the offences against them but because of lapses in the nation’s judicial system.
“Such people need help, regardless of their religion or political affiliation, and helping such prisoners would surely assist in fostering peace and unity in the country,’’ she said.
Tijanni advocated the creation of an institute for comparative studies to promote religious tolerance in the country.
According to her, creation of the institute would encourage religious tolerance, harmony, and end ethno-religious crises in the country. (NAN)