Unidentified gunmen kidnapped Da Gyang Balak Gut, the paramount ruler of Vwang District (Da Gwom Rwei of Vwang), in Jos South Local Government Area, Plateau State. The monarch was returning home to Vom after an official engagement when the assailants, who had mounted a roadblock with a bus, intercepted his vehicle close to the entrance of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) in Kuru, a few metres from the gate
16 Jan 2022 · Vwang District (Vom), Jos South, Plateau
Deaths
0
Injured
0
Kidnapped
1
Total casualties
0
Perpetrators
Unidentified Armed Actors
Response
Troops of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), in conjunction with other security agencies, vigilante groups and hunters, conducted clearance operations in the mountainous region of Sabon Gida Kanal, Gero and Dahol.
Displacement
0
Socioeconomic drivers
Weak state security presence in rural communities, allowing kidnappers to operate with impunity
Trajectory
The abduction of Da Gyang Balak Gut was part of a wave of kidnappings targeting traditional rulers in Plateau State during the 2021–2022 period. It followed the December 2021 abduction of the Sum Pyem of Gindiri and preceded the March 2022 abduction of the traditional ruler of Bukpe in the FCT. The successful rescue operation, which resulted in the arrest of two suspects, demonstrated the effectiveness of joint security operations in the state, though the payment of a ransom highlighted the ongoing challenge of the kidnapping economy.
Cycle notes
The abduction of Da Gyang Balak Gut, the Da Gwom Rwei of Vwang District in Jos South LGA of Plateau State directly echoed the 26 December 2021 abduction of Charles Mato Dakat, the Sum Pyem of Gindiri in Mangu LGA of Plateau State, and the 19 October 2018 killing of Dr. Maiwada Raphael Galadima, the Agom Adara III of the Adara Chiefdom in Kaduna State, all part of a sustained pattern of targeting traditional rulers in North-Central Nigeria. This incident also connects to the other confirmed cases: the 2 January 2018 abduction of Yohanna Sidi Kukah, the Agwom Akulu II of Ikulu in Kaduna State; the 27 November 2019 abduction of Mohammed Ibrahim Pada, the traditional ruler of Rubochi in Kuje Area Council of the FCT; the 20 April 2020 kidnapping of Alhaji Shehu Sulaiman, the Pankwal Bogghom of Bogghon District in Kanam LGA of Plateau State; the 30 March 2022 abduction of Hassan Shamidozhi, the traditional ruler of Bukpe in Kwali Area Council of the FCT; the 1 February 2024 killing of Oba Peter Segun Aremu-Cole, the Olukoro of Koro in Ekiti LGA of Kwara State; and the 15 May 2025 abduction of Oba James Dada Ogunyanda, the Obalohun of Okoloke in Yagba West LGA of Kogi . Together, these incidents of monarch kidnappings and killings, demonstrate a sustained pattern of targeting traditional rulers across Northern Nigeria, with some released after ransom payment and others killed when demands were not met or for other criminal motives.
Pattern
Traditional ruler kidnapping
Related — Kidnapping
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