Gunmen have killed Emmanuel Ezeokwe, an Anglican priest, in an overnight attack on a vicarage in Song Local Government Area of Adamawa State, authorities have said.
The incident, which occurred in the early hours of Tuesday in the Zinai community, has heightened concerns over recurring attacks on rural communities in the state.
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The Adamawa State Police Command confirmed the killing in a statement by its spokesperson, Suleiman Nguroje, saying the attack was reported at about 6:30 a.m. by a resident.
According to the police, the gunmen invaded the community around 12:48 a.m. and shot the cleric inside his residence.
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Police officers who responded to the report found the victim at the scene and took him to a hospital, where he was confirmed dead. His body has been deposited in a morgue.
Mr Nguroje said three empty AK-47 shells were recovered at the scene, while an investigation has been launched.
The Commissioner of Police, Kabir Hassan, has directed the State Criminal Investigation Department to conduct a detailed probe, while tactical teams have been deployed to track the attackers.
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Church reacts
The Archbishop of Yola Diocese, Markus Ibrahim, described the killing as a major loss to the church and called for calm.
Rising concerns
The killing of Mr Ezeokwe adds to a growing list of violent incidents in Adamawa State, particularly in rural communities near the Sambisa Forest axis.
In February 2026, at least 25 people were killed in coordinated attacks on villages in Madagali and Hong local government areas, with gunmen also burning homes and displacing residents.
Reports indicated that the attackers, some of whom arrived on motorcycles and in military-style clothing, struck multiple locations, including a military base, revealing the scale and coordination of the violence.
Human rights groups and local sources have also documented repeated assaults in the Madagali area since late 2025, with communities near the Cameroon border described as particularly vulnerable due to difficult terrain and delayed military response.
The region lies close to the Sambisa Forest, a long-standing operational base for insurgent groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), which have carried out attacks in the North-east for over a decade.
Historically, Adamawa has recorded high-profile attacks on civilians and institutions, including a 2012 mass killing at a student residence in Mubi and repeated raids on villages across the state.
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Security analysts say the persistence of such attacks, particularly in remote communities, points to gaps in rural policing, intelligence gathering, and rapid-response capabilities.
It remains unclear whether the latest killing was targeted or part of a broader pattern of nighttime raids, but residents say fear has continued to grow in affected communities.
The attack on a cleric within a residence also raises concerns about the vulnerability of religious leaders in conflict-prone areas.
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