From Koma Hills to Continents: The Gabriel Barau Story

Gabriel Barau stands as a definitive figure in modern African missiology—a missionary statesman whose vision has transcended borders. He serves as the International Director of GO International Ministry and as the Chairman of the Africa Missions Association, a dream he once presented that is now a thriving reality. His influence is further cemented through his prior leadership as Chairman of the Nigeria Evangelical Missions Association (NEMA), on whose Board of Trustees he continues to serve, and through his written work, such as the book ‘Emerging Cloud.’

Yet, these titles and accomplishments are merely the landmarks of a journey that began not in boardrooms, but in the remote, untouched highlands of Nigeria. This is the story of a calling answered with unwavering courage and a lifetime spent turning vision into tangible hope.

Chapter 1: The Call to the Clouds
Gabriel Barau was born on April 2, 1958, into the Taroh tribe in Langtang South, Plateau State, Nigeria. His path took a definitive turn in 1983 when his church, the Redeemed Peoples Mission, mobilized its youth to reach unreached people groups. Though the church itself did not open a mission field, it pledged support to those who felt called to go. Gabriel felt that call with compelling clarity.

He made a series of radical, life-altering decisions that would define his future: resigning from a stable civil service position and, most strikingly, rejecting an offer of admission to the prestigious Nigeria Defence Academy. Instead of a military career, he chose a mission described by many at the time as a “suicide mission.” He joined the pioneering team bound for the Koma people, an isolated tribe dwelling in the Atlantika Mountains (then in Gongola State, now Adamawa State). In 1983, the Koma were a completely nude, animist society, untouched by outside civilization—a world unto itself, and Gabriel Barau’s new home.

Chapter 2: Building a Foundation, Expanding a Family
The initial work in Koma Hills was the forging ground for Barau’s philosophy and resilience. In 1989, he married, founding a family that would become his steadfast support system. He and his wife were blessed with four children: Jerry, Nanji, Susan, and Raphael. This personal foundation paralleled the growth of his ministerial vision. What began as his personal calling evolved into an organization—first known as Missionary Crusaders Ministry (MCM), now called GO International Ministry.

Chapter 3: The Map of a Mission
From the seminal Koma field, the work expanded, driven by a strategic focus on groups without the gospel. The chronology of fields reads as a map of diligent, faith-driven expansion: