The Zamfara State Police Command has confirmed the abduction of six Islamic clerics (Juma’at Imams) by suspected bandits and launched an intensified rescue operation to secure their safe return.
The clerics were kidnapped on Saturday while travelling from the Sububu forest axis in Bakura Local Government Area towards Talata Mafara.
The attack occurred about three kilometres from Damri village at Gidan Suleiman Bature in Gonar Sarkin Forest.
They were en route to a special prayer session organised for peace and in support of President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.
The event, convened by former Zamfara Governor and Senator Abdul’aziz Yari, was expected to bring together nearly 3,000 imams.
Police spokesperson DSP Yazid Abubakar confirmed the incident, stating that six imams were abducted and that officers had intensified efforts to rescue them.
The Nigerian Army also verified the abduction, clarifying that the victims were seized while travelling on the road and not from Yari’s residence in Talata Mafara, as some earlier reports had claimed.
Troops, working with other security agencies and local intelligence networks, have stepped up operations to locate and free the abducted clerics.