By Palang Paul
JOS, Plateau State — Witnesses and local sources have reported five separate attacks across Plateau State Nigeria’s Middle Belt, leaving at least six people dead and several others affected.
The incidents occurred between Friday, August 28, and the early hours of Saturday, August 29, 2026, across communities in Bokkos, Riyom, Barkin Ladi and Mangu Local Government Areas, according to accounts obtained by The Nigeria Times.
Among those killed was Pastor Hills Emmanuel, a Ghanaian-Nigerian cleric and founder of The Wonderful Grace of God Evangelical Ministry in Bokkos, who was abducted on Friday while travelling from Jos to Bokkos.
Emmanuel, a former pastor with Dunamis International Gospel Centre, was reportedly travelling with his colleague, Pastor Gabriel Joseph Dipak of Christ Apostolic Church, when armed men allegedly intercepted their vehicle along the Barkin Ladi–Bokkos Road.
Witnesses said the attackers, whom they identified as Fulani militants, mounted a roadblock on the highway, reportedly less than a mile from military checkpoints located on both sides of the road.
The gunmen allegedly stopped a commercial minivan carrying nine passengers and forcibly took the two pastors away.
According to witnesses, the attackers also seized mobile phones and cash belonging to the other passengers before releasing them.
The stolen belongings were later recovered by the police at the scene, according to the accounts.
Pastor Emmanuel’s body was discovered early Saturday morning, August 29, close to the location where he and Pastor Dipak had been abducted.
The killing came amid a series of attacks reported across Plateau State that night.
At about 9 p.m. on Friday, according to local sources, armed attackers struck Fang village in Bachi District, Riyom LGA, where a woman was reportedly killed.
In Radura village, Fann District of Barkin Ladi LGA, two people were also reportedly killed in another attack.
Meanwhile, an attack in Chakfem village, Mangu LGA, left at least one person injured, according to local accounts.
The incidents brought the reported number of attacks during the period to five, including the abduction of the two pastors and the subsequent discovery of Pastor Emmanuel’s body.
As of noon on Saturday, the abductors had reportedly established contact with Pastor Dipak’s family. Their demands had not been ascertained at the time of filing this report.
The latest violence has heightened concerns over the security situation in Plateau State, particularly along rural roads and communities where residents have repeatedly raised concerns over attacks, abductions and killings.
The incidents also add to longstanding allegations by Christian communities and advocacy groups that predominantly Christian communities in parts of Nigeria’s Middle Belt are being systematically targeted by armed groups.
However, the identities and motives of the attackers in these latest incidents had not been independently established at the time of publication, and the allegations linking them to a particular ethnic or militant group remain claims by witnesses and local sources.
Security authorities had yet to publicly provide a comprehensive account of all five incidents as of press time.
Residents are now calling for stronger security measures and more effective protection of vulnerable communities and major access routes across Plateau State.
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