A former pastor of Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Hills Emmanuel, has been found dead after he was abducted by suspected gunmen along the Barkin Ladi-Bokkos road in Plateau State.
Emmanuel, a Ghanaian-Nigerian cleric and founder of The Wonderful Grace of God Evangelical Ministry in Bokkos, was abducted on Friday, August 28, while travelling from Jos to Bokkos.
He was reportedly travelling in a commercial minivan with eight other passengers when gunmen intercepted the vehicle along the road.
Pastor Gabriel Joseph Dipak of the Christ Apostolic Church was also abducted during the incident.
Witnesses said the attackers mounted a roadblock and stopped the vehicle before dragging Emmanuel and Dipak out.
The gunmen reportedly collected phones and cash from the other passengers and later allowed them to leave.
Police were said to have recovered some of the stolen belongings at the scene.
Emmanuel’s body was found early on Saturday, August 29, near the area where the abduction took place.
Dipak was still in captivity as of noon on Saturday. His family had reportedly been contacted by the abductors, although it was not immediately clear what demands had been made.
Witnesses identified the attackers as suspected Fulani militants and claimed the roadblock was located less than a mile from military checkpoints on both sides of the road.
However, the identities and affiliations of those responsible had not been independently confirmed at the time of reporting.
The incident occurred amid reports of several other attacks in Plateau State on Friday night.
At about 9 p.m., a woman was reportedly killed in Fang village, Bachi District, in Riyom Local Government Area.
Two other people were reportedly killed in Radura village, Fann District, in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area.
At least one person was also injured in an attack on Chakfem village in Mangu Local Government Area.
The affected communities are located within roughly 10 to 20 miles of one another.
Residents and other local sources alleged that the same suspected group carried out the attacks and that Christians were targeted. There was no immediate independent confirmation linking all the incidents to a single group.
The latest violence adds to the continuing security challenges in Plateau State and other parts of Nigeria’s Middle Belt, where communities have faced repeated killings, abductions and displacement.
The region’s insecurity has been linked to several factors, including farmer-herder disputes, communal tensions, criminal activity and broader armed violence. Local communities and advocacy groups have also repeatedly alleged that predominantly Christian settlements have been deliberately targeted in some attacks.
Authorities had yet to publicly establish responsibility for the latest incidents at the time of reporting.
