Gunmen Kill Five Others Overnight In Plateau

At least five people have been killed in separate attacks across communities in Plateau State, including a pastor who was abducted while travelling from Jos to Bokkos. Conflict reporter Masara Kim disclosed the incidents in a post on X on Saturday. Among those killed was Pastor Hills Emmanuel, a Ghanaian-Nigerian cleric based in Plateau State and founder of The Wonderful Grace of God Evangelical Ministry in Bokkos. Emmanuel, a former pastor with Dunamis Church, was abducted on Friday, August 28, alongside Pastor Gabriel Joseph Dipak of the Christ Apostolic Church. The two clerics were travelling from Jos to Bokkos when their vehicle was reportedly stopped by armed men along the Barkin Ladi-Bokkos road. According to witnesses cited by Kim, the attackers, identified by the witnesses as Fulani militants, mounted a roadblock less than a mile from military checkpoints located on both sides of the road. The assailants reportedly stopped a commercial minivan carrying nine passengers and dragged the two pastors out of the vehicle. The attackers allegedly seized phones and cash belonging to the other passengers before releasing them. Police later recovered the stolen items at the scene, according to the report. Emmanuel's body was found early Saturday morning, August 29, near the location where the two pastors had been abducted. The whereabouts of Dipak remained unknown as of Saturday afternoon, although the abductors had reportedly contacted his family. Their demands had not been established at the time of the report. “Four other attacks were reportedly recorded in Plateau State around 9 pm on Friday, with three people killed and another injured,” he said. “Pastor Emmanuel’s body was found early Saturday morning, August 29, near the site of the abduction. Around 9 p.m. on the same night, four other attacks occurred 10 to 20 miles away: A woman was killed in Fang village, Bachi District, Riyom LGA. “Two people were killed in Radura village, Fann District, Barkin Ladi LGA. “At least one person was injured in Chakfem village, Mangu LGA.” The incidents occurred within a radius of about 10 to 20 miles, according to Kim. The attacks have renewed concerns over the persistent violence affecting communities across Plateau State and other parts of Nigeria's Middle Belt. Kim described the incidents as coordinated attacks, alleging that Christians were specifically targeted. The latest violence comes amid continuing attacks, killings and abductions in parts of Plateau State, where communities have repeatedly been caught up in deadly clashes and attacks by armed groups.