By Sheris Pius
The quiet village of Nghar in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area has been thrown into mourning and uncertainty as the search continues for 17-year-old Praise Chinwe Amos, who went missing after a suspected attack by armed bandits.
Praise, a bright and promising first-year student of Plateau State Polytechnic, had spent her Sunday evening attending a youth fellowship, something she loved to do. Full of dreams and with a heart full of faith, she set out for home, unaware that danger lurked along her path.
She never made it back.
According to Blessing Orji, a family member and fellow villager who reported the incident to the police at about 12:45 p.m. on Monday, June 25, Praise simply vanished.
Locals fear she may have fallen into the hands of armed men who have turned their once peaceful community into a valley of death and despair.
The attack, suspected to have been carried out by armed herdsmen, comes amid a renewed wave of violence that began in Jos, the Plateau State capital, just days earlier.
In its wake, it has left not only burnt homes and broken bodies but also broken hearts — like those of Praise’s family, now living through a nightmare with each passing hour of silence.
“She was our hope… she just got into school,” her mother reportedly wept, clutching Praise’s last photograph. “I still set her food on the table last night. Maybe somehow she will walk through that door.”
A frantic search party made up of villagers, vigilante groups, and community leaders has combed the bushes and nearby settlements in vain. No trace. No word. Just an aching void where a daughter, a student, and a soul full of promise once stood.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that other youths may have also been attacked or abducted during the incident, but exact details remain unclear.
As the sun sets over the hills of Barkin Ladi, the question remains: where is Praise?
