SIX Juma’at Imams travelling to Talata Mafara, Zamfara State, for a special prayer session organised by former governor Abdul’aziz Yari have been abducted by suspected bandits.
The Zamfara State Police Command spokesperson, Yazid Abubakar, confirmed the abduction. He said security personnel had intensified efforts to rescue them.
“Yes, the incident occurred but the number of the Imams abducted were six and our men have intensified a rescue mission to ensure their safe return,” he said.
Abubakar explained that the clerics were kidnapped at Gidan Suleiman Bature in Gonar Sarkin Forest, about three kilometres from Damri, while travelling to the gathering, according to residents of the affected communities.
The prayer session, organised by Yari, the Director-General of the Tinubu 2027 re-election campaign council, was expected to draw thousands of Islamic clerics for prayers for peace, security and the success of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.
NTA previously reported that Yari hosted about 3,000 chief Imams from across Zamfara at his residence in Talata Mafara for special prayers centred on peace, security and national stability.
The gathering also included prayers for President Tinubu and Zamfara Governor Dauda Lawal ahead of the 2027 elections.
The clerics were reportedly abducted after attending the prayer gathering at Yari’s residence on September 13.
They were identified as Imam Yahuza, Magawata Abdullahi, Malam Shehu Dakko, Imam Bala Fagon and Na’ibi Tasi’u of Tungar Nagudai.
The exact identity of the sixth victim in the latest abduction was not immediately available but residents told journalists that the clerics were intercepted before they reached the venue of the prayer gathering.
One resident identified the abducted clerics as the Imam of Dakko Juma’at Mosque, Malam Shehu; the Imam of Dogon Madacci, Liman Yahuza, and his deputy; the Imam of Fagon, Liman Bala; and the Imam of Tungar Nagodai, Na’ibi Tasi’u.
The resident said the affected Imams were mainly from Bakura Local Government Area, with the cleric from Tungar Nagodai coming from Anka Local Government Area.
The abduction came as residents described the area as increasingly dominated by armed bandits, with people afraid to travel outside their communities or access their farmlands.
A resident also alleged that bandits operating around Damri had imposed levies on residents in several communities, including Matsafa, Yar Matsafa, Gazamnah, Lambusu, Sabon Garin Damri, Kurhi, Mallamawa, Saturu and Cikayi, also known as Makwasa.
The resident further claimed that the insecurity had effectively restricted movement, saying people could hardly move a kilometre outside Damri without risking abduction.
The latest incident adds to the long-running security crisis affecting communities around Damri and Dakko in Bakura Local Government Area.
In August 2025, reports said more than 50 villagers, mainly women and children, were abducted when bandits attacked Sabon Garin Damri. Hundreds of livestock were also reportedly rustled during the attack.
Earlier, the National Assembly had also documented persistent insecurity in Bakura and neighbouring Maradun communities. In a July 2024 proceeding, the House of Representatives listed Damri, Dakko and other communities in Bakura among areas experiencing significant security threats.
The security situation deteriorated further in August 2025 when at least 150 people were reportedly abducted in a series of attacks across several Zamfara communities, including Sabon Garin Damri and Dakko Butsa.
Residents said armed groups were exploiting isolated communities and attacking people away from the relative safety of town centres.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.