Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Plateau State Police Command has arrested a clergyman and two serving military personnel over an alleged plot to kidnap the wives of two prominent bishops in Jos, in a shocking case that has exposed the depth of criminal networks operating within the state's security architecture. The suspects, identified as 42-year-old Reverend Hassan Yunisim Mijah of Tudun Wada, Jos North, Sergeant Ezra Sunday of the Nigerian Air Force, and Ordinary Seaman Usman Khalid of the Nigerian Navy, were apprehended following credible intelligence received by the command regarding an alleged criminal conspiracy and a foiled attempt to abduct the women. The incident reportedly occurred at about 2:10 p.m. on Friday, August 7, 2026.
According to police sources, Mijah allegedly conspired with the two military personnel, both attached to Sector 1 of Operation ENDURING PEACE in Jos, to kidnap the wives of Bishop Ephraim Gongden and retired Bishop Benjamin Kwashi. The two bishops are reportedly residents of the Rantya area of Jos South Local Government Area. The alleged involvement of serving personnel from the Nigerian Air Force and Nigerian Navy has added a troubling dimension to the case, raising serious questions about the infiltration of criminal networks into the very institutions tasked with maintaining security in the state.
The police operation was launched after operatives received intelligence about the alleged plan and immediately moved to prevent the proposed abduction. Operatives led by the Commander of the Vigilance and Criminal Response Unit conducted the operation, which resulted in the arrest of the three suspects. The police reportedly said the suspects were subsequently interrogated and allegedly confessed to their involvement in the suspected criminal plot. "On interrogation, suspects confessed to the crime," the police were quoted as saying. The command also disclosed that the leadership of Operation ENDURING PEACE had been formally informed about the arrest of the two personnel serving under the operation.
The development is particularly significant as it involves personnel from two branches of the armed forces who were linked to a planned kidnapping operation targeting the family members of prominent Christian clerics. The alleged plot has sent shockwaves through the religious community in Plateau State, where tensions between communities have often been inflamed by acts of violence and insecurity. The police, however, have not indicated that the suspects have been convicted of any offence. Investigations are reportedly continuing to establish the full circumstances surrounding the alleged conspiracy and determine whether other individuals were involved. Authorities are also working to determine whether the suspects were acting alone or as part of a wider criminal network.
The case has drawn attention to the persistent security challenges facing Plateau State, which has experienced cycles of communal violence, banditry and kidnapping in recent years. The fact that serving military personnel could be implicated in a plot to kidnap the wives of bishops underscores the depth of the security crisis and the challenges faced by authorities in rooting out criminal elements within the security forces themselves. For now, the three suspects remain in police custody as investigations continue, and the community waits to see whether this case will lead to broader revelations about criminal networks operating in the state.
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