Johnstone Kpilaakaa on Muck Rack

Johnstone Kpilaakaa

Verified
(He/Him)
Gboko, Nigeria
As seen in: HumAngle, Legit.ng, Premium Times, AllAfrica, The Nation (Nigeria), TheCable, International Journalists Network, Global Investigative Journalism Network, IPS Inter Press Service, AgroPages, The International Center for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) and
Covers:  conflict, human rights, humanitarian crises, social accountability, social responses, tech & innovation.
🇻🇦: standards editor @HumAngle_ • behavioural scientist

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Johnstone Kpilaakaa’s Biography

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Hey, I’m Johnstone Kpilaakaa. 👋🏿

I’m a journalist reporting from the frontlines of conflict, displacement, and humanitarian crises across Nigeria’s Middle Belt.

I’m currently Sub-Editor at HumAngle, a leading African newsroom focused on the human cost of conflict and humanitarian issues, where I also head the Standards and Ethics desk.

Previously, I covered startups, policy, and venture capital within Africa’s tech ecosystem for Bendada.com (now TheCondia).

Outside the newsroom, I mentor budd…

Johnstone Kpilaakaa’s Journalist Portfolio

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What Life Could Have Been for Leah Sharibu at 22

What Life Could Have Been for Leah Sharibu at 22

Leah Sharibu turns 22 today. She should be blowing out candles, cutting a cake, and posing for photos with fr…

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Opinion: How Pope Francis confronted tribalism in Nigeria's Catholic Church

Opinion: How Pope Francis confronted tribalism in Nigeria's Catholic Church

In this reflection, Johnstone Kpilaakaa details Pope Francis's decisive role in resolving a tribal crisis tha…

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Zike Tragedy: Survivors Mourn, Counting Lives Lost in Plateau Attack

Zike Tragedy: Survivors Mourn, Counting Lives Lost in Plateau Attack

The survivors of the Zike massacre recount the pain of losing loved ones but also the struggle for safety and…

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Mob Violence Soars in Nigeria as Northern Travellers are Killed in South-South

Mob Violence Soars in Nigeria as Northern Travellers are Killed in South-South

The vigilantes, profiling the northern Nigerian travellers as kidnappers or members of a violent group, inter…

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How African startups raised $74 million in January 2023

How African startups raised $74 million in January 2023

In January 2024, African tech startups secured $74 million across 24 deals comprised of both equity and debt,…

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Nigeria's internet remains costly as data depletion worsens

Nigeria's internet remains costly as data depletion worsens

In Nigeria, the cost of mobile internet is high. However, data depletion remains a widespread problem for sub…

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Articles

Plateau Communities Confront Kidnap-for-Ransom Crisis

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By Johnstone Kpilaakaa Verified
| HumAngle Verified
It was just past 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, when Allwell Nelson was abducted from her family residence in Dong, a community in Jos North Local Government Area (LGA), Plateau State, North Central Nigeria. She and her niece had just finished bathing and were in their pyjamas, settling down to watch a film before bed, when her brother-in-law burst into the room. “Armed robbers! Armed robbers! Call the police!” he shouted. Her heart leapt.
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What We Know About the March 29 Terror Attack in Jos

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By Johnstone Kpilaakaa Verified
| HumAngle Verified
Sunday evenings are usually a beehive of commercial activity at Angwan Rukuba Junction, but it turned deadly on March 29, at around 7:45 p.m., when assailants opened fire on people at random in the area, located in Jos North Local Government Area (LGA), Plateau State, in North Central Nigeria. Eyewitnesses gave differing accounts of the attackers’ arrival, with some saying they came in a red Sharon van, while others reported they arrived on motorcycles.
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The Unending Attacks Strangling Life in Benue-Cameroon Borderlands

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By Johnstone Kpilaakaa Verified
| HumAngle Verified
The terrorists struck on a day the people of Abande know by heart. Every five days, the settlement in Mbaikyor Ward, Turan district, hosts a market that draws traders from across Benue State, in Nigeria’s North Central, neighbouring Taraba State, and the Republic of Cameroon, which is less than a day’s walk away. Abande Market is where goods are exchanged, relationships renewed, and livelihoods sustained. On Tuesday, Feb. 3, it became a killing ground.
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Awards

BudgIT Active Citizens Award

2022 - Solution Journalism

Out of over 300 entries, Johnstone's report on an anti-gender-based violence radio show in Northern Nigeria was selected as the top four finalists at the inaugural edition of the BudgIT Active Citizens Awards.

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