Khabib Nurmagomedov is calling for unity and societal change in Dagestan following the murder of a beloved Dagestani politician.
The retired UFC lightweight champion took to social media after reports emerged that Abakar Kaplanov, the former head of the village of Novokuli, was killed over an alleged land dispute on Saturday. It was believed that he had a “long-standing enmity” with two villagers, both of whom are members of the National Guard of Russia (Rosgvardia). He was reportedly shot 36 times, which resulted in hundreds of people taking to the streets.
Faced with a chaotic scene, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Dagestan deployed more than 130 police officers to maintain order and “prevent the escalation of the conflict.” The two national guard officers were detained and are currently facing charges of premeditated murder.
A clip of the incident was released by the ministry:
Nurmagomedov posted a picture of himself along with a caption quoting a war poem by Soviet poet Aleksandr Tvardovsky. He also shared his thoughts on the incident and called for societal change rooted in education.
“Many people write to me to comment on the latest events in Dagestan,” Nurmagomedov said. ”Everything related to murder, garbage and other similar events that occur in our republic almost every day. ”Raise your children, teach them, show them the right example so that they grow up healthy, smart and worthy. Maybe they will change the situation in which we live. Only educated and well-mannered people who have the right values can change society.”
Fellow Dagestani fighters Islam Makhachev and Timur Valiev also took to social media to mourn Kaplanov. Valiev revealed that the tragic incident impacted his preparations for his Feb. 6 UFC bout against Martin Day, whom he later defeated via unanimous decision.
“It was very difficult to get ready for the fight because in the morning he wrote to me and wished me victory. He was going to meet me at the airport,” Valiev revealed. ”And after a couple of hours I was informed that he was gone. I ask everyone to make dua [worship] for our brother, Abakar. We will miss you.”
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