YOLA, Nigeria — Thousands of Muslim and Christian faithful on Sunday converged on Yola, Adamawa capital, to offer special prayers for lasting peace and an end to insurgency in the country. A Muslim cleric, Abubakar Hussaini, who led the prayer session, urged Muslims to remain calm and be prayerful. “You should not be intimidated and do not allow anyone to force you to flee your homes. “We must be united and have the firm belief that with God on our side we have nothing to fear,’’ he said. In a sermon, Adam Usman, cautioned against rumour mongering, saying it can instill fear in residents. He also urged the people not flee Yola for fear of losing their lives as a result of insurgency. The cleric called for collective effort to end insurgency and to return the troubled parts of the country to the path of peace and progress. The prayers must be sustained for the unity of the country and for an end to insurgency, Usman said. Similarly, thousands of Christians held intercessions across the state seeking God’s intervention in the war declared against the people by insurgents. They prayed for the return of peace and unity among Nigerians particularly in some parts of the North. The Adamawa Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the Rev. Fr. Moses Taparki, told NAN that the prayers would be sustained until the country was rid of terror. “We prayed for peace ...      Read more