By Abdullahi Inuwa
Tension is high in Plateau State as security forces race against time to rescue a United Nations staff member, Emmanuel Yusuf Sabo, who was abducted by gunmen in the heart of Jos North Local Government Area on Saturday night.
The 45-year-old UN official was reportedly kidnapped around 9:00 p.m. on May 31 along Godwin Street, in the State Low-Cost area, while returning home from work.
Sources confirmed that Sabo, a staff member at the UN Office in Jos, was accosted and whisked away by unidentified assailants, sending shockwaves through the diplomatic and humanitarian community in the region.
His younger brother, Mr. Ezekiel Sabo, residing in Angwan Rukuba, reported the abduction to police early Sunday. Security agencies immediately swung into action.
In a swift development, police operatives conducting a routine stop-and-search operation intercepted the abducted victim’s vehicle around 3:40 a.m. on Sunday, June 1, in Manguna, Bokkos LGA. The suspected kidnapper behind the wheel abandoned the car and fled into a nearby bush upon sighting the security team.
The vehicle has since been recovered and secured, while a full-scale search and rescue operation is ongoing to locate the kidnapped UN official and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Security sources confirmed that checkpoints have been reinforced and aerial surveillance is being considered as part of coordinated efforts involving the Police, DSS, and Nigerian Army.
Authorities are urging residents to remain calm and report any suspicious activity.
The United Nations office in Nigeria has yet to issue an official statement, but internal sources described the incident as “deeply concerning.”
As the hunt intensifies, many are left asking how a high-profile international staffer could vanish in a major urban center—and what it says about rising insecurity across the Middle Belt.
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