Gunmen stormed the palace of Alhaji Shehu Sulaiman (the Pankwal Bogghom, second-class chief of Bogghon District in Kanam LGA) around 1:00 AM and abducted him. A palace staff member was seriously injured during the attack.
20 Apr 2020 · Bogghon District, Kanam, Plateau
Deaths
0
Injured
1
Kidnapped
1
Total casualties
1
Perpetrators
Unidentified Armed Actors
Response
Kanam LGA Chairman Abbas Wokdung confirmed the incident and stated that he was working with the state government and security agencies to secure the chief's release. Senator Hezekiah Dimka (representing Plateau Central) condemned the abduction. The Plateau State Police Command acknowledged the incident.
Displacement
0
Socioeconomic drivers
Weak state presence in remote areas, inadequate policing, and poor communication infrastructure.
Trajectory
This incident was part of a wider wave of ransom kidnappings targeting traditional rulers and elites across Northwest and North-Central Nigeria (including Plateau State).
Cycle notes
The abduction of Alhaji Shehu Sulaiman, the Pankwal Bogghom (second-class chief) of Bogghon District in Kanam LGA, Plateau State directly echoed the 2 January 2018 abduction of Yohanna Sidi Kukah (Agwom Akulu II of Ikulu, Kaduna State); the 19 October 2018 kidnapping and killing of Dr. Maiwada Raphael Galadima (Agom Adara III, Kaduna State); the 27 November 2019 abduction of Mohammed Ibrahim Pada (Rubochi, Kuje Area Council, FCT); the 26 December 2021 abduction of Charles Mato Dakat (Sum Pyem of Gindiri, Plateau State); the 16 January 2022 kidnapping of Da Gyang Balak Gut (Da Gwom Rwei of Vwang District, Jos South, Plateau); the 30 March 2022 abduction of Hassan Shamidozhi (Bukpe, Kwali Area Council, FCT); the 1 February 2024 killing of Oba Peter Segun Aremu-Cole (Olukoro of Koro, Ekiti LGA, Kwara State); and the 15 May 2025 abduction of Oba James Dada Ogunyanda (Obalohun of Okoloke, Yagba West LGA, Kogi ). Together, these incidents demonstrate that violence against monarchs remains an active and unresolved security challenge aimed at destabilizing local leadership, undermining social cohesion, and projecting criminal influence over rural communities across Northern Nigeria.
Pattern
Traditional ruler kidnapping
Related — Kidnapping
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