Six Islamic clerics have been abducted by suspected bandits in Bakura Local Government Area of Zamfara State, triggering a frantic search by security operatives.
The victims, identified as Imams, were reportedly travelling to Talata Mafara when armed men ambushed their vehicle along the Dakko–Damri feeder road around 11:30am on Saturday.
The Zamfara State Police Command said it immediately mobilised its personnel, alongside members of the Vigilante and Crime Response Unit and other security agencies, to comb the area for the abducted clerics.
The command’s spokesperson, Yazid Abubakar, said the attackers intercepted the vehicle conveying the victims before whisking them away.
According to him, the Divisional Police Officer in Bakura led the initial response to the scene, while security teams moved into surrounding bushes in search of the victims and their abductors.
Commissioner of Police Ahmed Bello ordered the operatives to intensify the operation until the clerics are rescued.
The police also appealed to residents with useful information about the victims’ whereabouts or the attackers to immediately alert security agencies.
Army dismisses Yari residence claim
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army has rejected reports that the Imams were kidnapped at the residence of former Zamfara governor, Abdul’aziz Yari, in Talata Mafara.
The Army confirmed that people were abducted while travelling from the Sububu forest axis in Bakura towards Talata Mafara but described the claim linking the incident to Yari’s residence as false.
Acting Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 8 Division/Sector 2, Operation Fansan Yamma, Lt Col Olaniyi Osoba, said no cleric was abducted at the former governor’s residence.
He said troops, working with other security agencies and local intelligence networks, were intensifying efforts to locate and rescue the victims.
Matawalle rallies Yari’s political camp
In a related development, the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, has urged former political officeholders and their supporters in Zamfara to back the Federal Government’s fight against banditry.
Matawalle made the appeal during a meeting with former political officeholders and their associates in Kaduna on Saturday.
The meeting also focused on political developments in Zamfara and efforts to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Matawalle said securing lives and property remained a major responsibility of government, stressing that the Tinubu administration was determined to defeat banditry and restore peace.
He urged members of the political structure to return to their constituencies and sensitise residents about the government’s security efforts.
The minister also called for mobilisation behind the Tinubu Again Movement ahead of the 2027 election, while the former governor urged his supporters to remain united and committed to their political structure.
