The Bishop of Jos, the Rt. Rev. Prof. Ephraim J. Gongden, says he was the ultimate intended target of a foiled plot initially directed at the wives of the serving and retired Anglican bishops of Jos.

Police in Plateau State have confirmed the arrest of suspects in connection with an alleged plan to abduct Mrs. Esther Gongden, wife of the Bishop of Jos, and Mrs. Gloria Kwashi, wife of the immediate past Bishop of Jos, the Most Rev. Benjamin Argak Kwashi. The investigation remains ongoing; no charges had been announced in the latest public statement by police.

Speaking in a subsequent interview with Advent Cable Network Nigeria, Bishop Gongden said a naval serviceman came to the Bishop’s Court in Jos on the evening of 6 August with information about the alleged conspiracy. The serviceman reportedly had been approached to locate a house where Mrs. Gongden could be held after an abduction.

The bishop said the visitor’s late-night request to see him, and his warning that the bishop’s security staff should not blame him if harm befell the bishop or his wife, prompted him to alert the police. At the police station, Bishop Gongden said, the man played a recording of a conversation that allegedly set out details of a kidnapping plan, including information about the bishop’s residence, vehicles, mobile telephones, and an intended means of overpowering the family as they entered their compound.

Early reports identified the principal suspect as the Rev. Hassan Yunisim Mijah, described as a former member of the clergy or former worker of the Diocese of Jos. Reports also alleged the arrest of two military personnel: a Nigerian Air Force sergeant and a Nigerian Navy rating. Those particulars, including the alleged roles of the individuals, have not been formally confirmed in detail by the Plateau State Police Command.

The Diocese of Jos has firmly rejected claims that Mijah was a serving diocesan clergyman or had been restored to ministry by Bishop Gongden. In a statement issued by diocesan registrar Harrison N. Ugwuala, Esq., the diocese said the accused man had worked within the diocese but was dismissed in 2022 during the episcopate of Bishop Kwashi.

“He was NOT reinstated by the present Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Jos,” the statement said. “The individual is NOT a clergyman in the employment, authority, or jurisdiction of the Anglican Diocese of Jos.” The diocese added that it had “no working relationship whatsoever” with him.

Bishop Gongden said Mijah had later been afforded an opportunity for ministry by another bishop, but stressed that this did not place him under the authority or jurisdiction of the Diocese of Jos. He also denied allegations that he had appointed Mijah to a diocesan parish or that Mijah was teaching at the diocesan seminary.

The Plateau State Commissioner of Police, Ayodeji Faniyan, confirmed on 14 August that suspects had been taken into custody and that the command was investigating their alleged role in the attempted kidnapping. He said those found culpable would be charged to court after the investigation was complete.

“The suspects are currently in our custody,” Commissioner Faniyan said. “We are investigating their involvement in the incident and at the end of the investigation, they will be charged to court if found culpable.”

In his account, Bishop Gongden said the police used the serviceman who disclosed the alleged plot to further the investigation, leading to the arrest of Mijah and two military personnel allegedly connected with the scheme. He said the military personnel were subsequently handed over to military authorities, while Mijah remained in detention at the time of his interview.

The bishop said a telephone call allegedly received from Mijah while the whistleblower was giving his statement to senior police officers further implicated the former diocesan worker. He also said Mijah later told him that the bishop himself, rather than Mrs. Gongden, was the ultimate target of the alleged conspiracy.

Bishop Gongden said that he and Mrs. Gongden visited Mijah in custody on 8 August, two days after the alleged plot was uncovered. He reported that the former diocesan worker asked forgiveness, which the bishop and his wife offered, while emphasizing that personal forgiveness could not set aside the responsibility of the civil authorities to investigate an alleged serious crime.

“Our forgiveness does not mean that the case is ours to take and to handle,” Bishop Gongden said. “The law will take its course.”

The bishop appealed for a full investigation into the alleged conspiracy, its motive, and any other persons who may have been involved. He said the case was no longer a private dispute but a matter for the state and security services.

The Diocese of Jos has also protested the circulation on social media of Bishop Gongden’s photograph in reports concerning the crime, saying its use falsely suggested that the bishop was a suspect rather than a potential victim. The diocese described the reports as misleading and malicious, and said it had referred alleged misinformation and cyber-bullying to relevant legal and security authorities.

While the principal allegations remain untested in court, the case has underscored the climate of insecurity confronting Christian leaders and their families in Plateau State. The diocese has asked its members and the wider Christian community to remain calm, prayerful, and united as the investigation proceeds.