JOS — The Plateau State Police Command has arrested a clergyman and two active military personnel attached to Operation Enduring Peace (OPEP) over an alleged conspiracy and foiled plot to kidnap the wives of two prominent Jos-based clerics, Bishop Ephraim Gongden and retired Bishop Benjamin Kwashi.
According to security reports detailed by security analyst Zagazola Makama, the arrests were executed following actionable intelligence regarding a criminal conspiracy targeting the residences of the bishops in the Rantya area of Jos South Local Government Area.
The suspects were identified by the police command as 42-year-old Rev. Hassan Yunisim Mijah, a resident of Tudun Wada in Jos North; Sergeant Ezra Sunday of the Nigerian Air Force; and OS Usman Khalid of the Nigerian Navy. Both security personnel were deployed to Sector 1 of Operation Enduring Peace (OPEP) in Jos.
Police authorities stated that operatives led by the Commander of the Vigilance and Criminal Response Unit (VCRU) intercepted the suspects following intelligence reports regarding the planned abduction plot, which was scheduled to be executed around 2:10 p.m. on August 7, 2026.
Upon interrogation, the suspects reportedly confessed to the crime. Command officials confirmed that the military authorities overseeing Operation Enduring Peace have been formally briefed regarding the arrest of the two service personnel.
An expanded investigation is currently underway by the police command to unearth further details of the criminal ring, track potential accomplices, and arraign the suspects in a court of law.
