Bandits Demand N30m Ransom for Six Abducted Clerics in Zamfara

Zamfara State Commissioner of Police CP Ahmed Bello

Bandits Demand N30m Ransom for Six Abducted Clerics in Zamfara

Suspected bandits in Zamfara State have demanded N30 million ransom for the release of six Islamic clerics abducted along the Dakko-Damri feeder road in Bakura Local Government Area.

The clerics were abducted on September 12, 2026, while travelling towards Talata Mafara, where they were expected to attend a meeting at the residence of former Zamfara State governor and serving Senator Abdul’aziz Yari, according to community sources.

The Zamfara State Police Command confirmed that six Islamic clerics were abducted when armed men reportedly ambushed their vehicle at about 11:30am along the Dakko-Damri feeder road.

Police spokesman DSP Yazid Abubakar said the attackers were armed with sophisticated weapons and intercepted the vehicle carrying the victims.

Following the incident, the Divisional Police Officer in Bakura mobilised police personnel, including the Violence Crime Response Unit (VCRU), alongside other security agencies, to begin a search-and-rescue operation.

The command said surrounding bushes were being combed in an effort to locate the victims and apprehend the perpetrators, while Commissioner of Police CP Ahmed Bello directed the operatives to intensify the search.

The Nigerian Army subsequently clarified that the clerics were not abducted at Senator Yari’s residence, correcting earlier reports that had linked the incident directly to the residence.

According to the Army, the victims were abducted while travelling from the Sububu Forest axis in Bakura towards Talata Mafara. The Army urged the public to disregard what it described as sensationalised and unverified accounts that could undermine the rescue operation.

The latest development is that the abductors have reportedly contacted the victims’ families and demanded N30 million for the release of the six clerics.

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A resident of Dakko village, Malam Muhammad Ibrahim, told The Whistler that the driver who was abducted alongside the clerics had regained his freedom after his family reportedly paid N2 million ransom.

Ibrahim said the wider incident involved eight people, comprising the six clerics, their driver and two other people who were reportedly abducted while returning from their farms.

According to the community source, the two other victims were released after the abductors reportedly demanded N300,000 each and two 25-litre jerrycans of petrol.

The driver was reportedly released on Saturday, September 19, and had returned to his family in Kwatsama village.

Ibrahim said preparations were subsequently being made to raise the N30 million demanded for the six clerics. A son of one of the abducted clerics also reportedly confirmed the ransom demand and said the driver’s release had raised the families’ hopes of securing the safe return of the religious leaders.

The reported ransom payment and demand have not been publicly confirmed by the police or Nigerian Army in the statements reviewed. The claim that a serving senator from Zamfara had pledged to pay the ransom also remains a report from a community source and has not been independently confirmed.

The six abducted clerics have been identified as Malam Muhammadu Shehu, Chief Imam of Dakko Juma’at Mosque; Malam Murtala Dakko, Deputy Imam of the mosque; Malam Muhammad Yahuza, Chief Imam of Dogon Madacci First Juma’at Mosque; Malam Magawata Abdullahi, Chief Imam of Dogon Madacci Second Juma’at Mosque; Malam Bala Hogun, Chief Imam of Hogun Juma’at Mosque; and Malam Muhammad Tasi’u, Chief Imam of Kwatsama Juma’at Mosque.

Community sources said the clerics had travelled through feeder roads because of concerns about attacks on major routes in the area.

One source alleged that the abductors may have had prior knowledge of the route used by the clerics, who reportedly travelled through areas including Lambar Bakura, Dambi and Sabon Garin Dambi before heading towards Talata Mafara.

That claim has not been independently established.

The incident has also highlighted the security difficulties faced by communities around Bakura, Bukkuyum and Anka, where residents have reported the presence of armed groups and criminal camps.

A report by Daily Trust said local vigilantes pursued the abductors after the clerics were taken and managed to restrict their movement for several hours, but eventually withdrew because they lacked sufficient reinforcement to confront the armed group without putting the hostages at greater risk.

The same account reported that residents had identified several suspected bandit camps around the area, although such claims have not been independently verified.

The abduction occurred against a backdrop of renewed security concerns in Zamfara State, where kidnapping for ransom and attacks by armed groups remain major challenges.

The police have urged residents to provide credible and timely information that could assist security agencies in locating the victims and apprehending the abductors.

The Nigerian Army has similarly said troops, working with other security agencies and local intelligence networks, were intensifying efforts to locate and rescue the victims.

The case has generated particular concern because the victims are Islamic clerics, several of whom are reported to be elderly.

Malam Hassan Mai-Fanta, Chief Imam of Izala Second Mosque in Shinkafi, who also attended the meeting in Talata Mafara, said he had left the town before the abducted scholars.

He described the abduction as unfortunate and called for intensified efforts to secure their release.

The reported N30 million ransom demand now places additional pressure on the families and authorities as the six clerics remain in captivity.

For the families, the reported release of the driver has provided some hope that the remaining victims could also regain their freedom. However, security agencies have not publicly confirmed that the six clerics have been located or that any ransom has been paid for their release.

The victims remain in the custody of their abductors, according to the latest available reports, while security agencies continue efforts to secure their safe return.