Plateau attacks: Abducted pastor found dead, colleague still missing

Plateau attacks: Abducted pastor found dead, colleague still missingA wave of attacks in Plateau State has left at least five people dead and another person injured, while a Ghanaian-Nigerian pastor abducted along the Jos-Bokkos road was found dead hours later.

The incidents, which occurred between Friday night and Saturday, were reported by conflict reporter Masara Kim in a post on X.

Pastor Hills Emmanuel, founder of The Wonderful Grace of God Evangelical Ministry in Bokkos and a former pastor with Dunamis Church, was among those caught up in the violence.

Emmanuel and another cleric, Pastor Gabriel Joseph Dipak of the Christ Apostolic Church, were travelling from Jos to Bokkos on Friday, August 28, when armed men reportedly intercepted the vehicle along the Barkin Ladi-Bokkos road.

Witnesses cited in the report alleged that the attackers, described by them as Fulani militants, established a roadblock close to military checkpoints positioned along the route.

The gunmen reportedly stopped a commercial minibus carrying nine passengers and forcibly removed the two pastors. They allegedly took money and mobile phones from the remaining passengers before allowing them to leave.

The stolen belongings were later recovered by the police at the scene, according to the report.

Emmanuel’s body was discovered early Saturday near the spot where the abduction occurred.

Dipak, however, remained missing as of Saturday afternoon. His abductors were said to have contacted his family, although their demands had not been made public.

The abduction was followed by more violence in other Plateau communities later on Friday.

Kim said three additional people were killed in separate attacks around 9 p.m., with the incidents occurring within an estimated 10 to 20-mile radius.

A woman was reportedly killed in Fang village, Bachi District, Riyom Local Government Area, while two others were killed in Radura village, Fann District, Barkin Ladi LGA.

Another person sustained injuries in an attack on Chakfem village in Mangu LGA.

The latest incidents have heightened concerns over the security situation in Plateau, where recurring attacks and abductions have continued to threaten communities across the state.

Kim described the incidents as coordinated attacks and alleged that Christian communities were deliberately targeted.

The claims could not be independently verified, while authorities had yet to provide an official account of the incidents at the time of the report.