Gunmen have kidnapped six Islamic clerics along the Dakko-Damri feeder road in Bakura LGA of Zamfara state.
The clerics were travelling to Talata Mafara when armed bandits stopped their vehicle on Saturday, according to a statement issued on Sunday by Zamfara police spokesperson, Yazid Abubakar.
Abubakar said the attackers, who allegedly carried sophisticated weapons, ambushed the vehicle at about 11:30 a.m. and kidnapped the six victims, all of whom he identified as imams.
He said the police had launched a search operation in collaboration with other security agencies to rescue the victims and apprehend the attackers.
“Upon receipt of the report, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Bakura Division, promptly mobilised and led Police personnel, including the Violence Crime Response Unit (VCRU), in collaboration with other sister security agencies, to the scene of the incident,” Abubakar said.
He said security teams were searching nearby bushes to locate the victims.
According to the police spokesperson, Zamfara Commissioner of Police A. M. Bello directed the officers to intensify their efforts and use every available resource to secure the victims’ release.
Abubakar also urged residents to provide timely and credible information that could assist the rescue operation.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army has denied reports that the clerics were kidnapped at the Talata Mafara residence of Abdul’aziz Yari, a former Zamfara governor and Senator representing Zamfara West.
In a separate statement on Sunday, Olaniyi Osoba, acting deputy director, army public relations, 8 division, Nigerian Army sector 2 of Operation Fansan Yamma, denied the allegation.
Backstory…
The latest attack comes amid several recurring bandit attacks and abduction across Zamfara state. In July, residents of Bungudu Local Government Area in Zamfara State were thrown into mourning after suspected bandits in Zamfara killed four security personnel and abducted the council chairman.
Local sources informed PREMIUM TIMES that around 11:40 p.m., the council chairman, Nura Abdullahi, was abducted from Bungudu town alongside two other residents.
Similarly, just few days ago, Nasiru Marafa, the bursar of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), was shot dead in Zamfara State.
Read Also: NOUN bursar, Nasiru Marafa shot dead in Zamfara
