A heartbreaking account has emerged from Plateau State, where armed bandits allegedly stormed a hospital, abducted several young Christian girls, and subjected them to hours of assault before releasing them.
The story was shared by Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, Regional Chairman of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area. In a video posted on his Facebook page, the cleric described the attack as a targeted assault on Christians, calling it one of the most disturbing incidents he had witnessed in recent times.
According to him, the armed group invaded the hospital around 8 p.m. on Saturday, October 17, wielding AK-47 rifles, machetes, and swords. They reportedly dragged out patients, abducting several young girls — most of them Christians — and marched them into nearby rocky hills where the violence occurred.
Rev. Dachomo said the bandits separated the victims based on religion, sparing the Muslim girls but subjecting the Christian ones to a horrifying night of assault that lasted for over eight hours. He revealed that one of the victims was not even a patient but had come to the hospital to care for her mother.
After the ordeal, the traumatized girls managed to find their way back to the hospital close to midnight, screaming for help. Medical personnel quickly attended to them, offering emergency care that saved their lives.
“This was not a random act of violence,” Rev. Dachomo said. “It was a deliberate attack on our faith. These militants came prepared, determined to humiliate our daughters simply because they are Christians.”
He further disclosed that on the same day, the wife of another local pastor, Reverend Zephaniah Mangut, was also abducted by the same group.
Rev. Dachomo lamented what he described as an ongoing pattern of targeted violence against Christians in parts of the state, warning that silence and inaction could embolden the attackers.
He urged security agencies to intensify efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice and called for stronger protection for vulnerable communities in Plateau and beyond.
