Gunmen have abducted six Islamic clerics along the Dakko-Damri feeder road in Bakura Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
Yazid Abubakar, the Zamfara police spokesperson, said in a statement on Sunday that the clerics were travelling to Talata Mafara when armed bandits intercepted their vehicle on Saturday.
According to Abubakar, the incident occurred at about 11:30am after the assailants, who were reportedly armed with sophisticated weapons, ambushed the vehicle and abducted the six victims, all of whom were identified as Imams.
He said the police, alongside other security agencies, had launched an operation to locate and rescue the victims while working to apprehend those responsible.
“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 added that security personnel were searching the surrounding bushes for the abducted clerics.
The police spokesperson said A. M. Bello, the state commissioner of police, had ordered the operatives to intensify the operation and use all available resources to secure the victims’ release.
Abubakar also appealed to residents to provide credible and timely information that could support the rescue efforts.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army has dismissed reports claiming that the clerics were abducted at the residence of Abdul’aziz Yari, former Zamfara governor and senator representing Zamfara West, in Talata Mafara.
Olaniyi Osoba, acting deputy director of Army public relations, 8 Division, Nigerian Army Sector 2 of Operation Fansan Yamma, described the report as false in a separate statement on Sunday.
Osoba said intelligence gathered by the military indicated that “some persons were abducted while traveling from Sububu forest axis within Bakura Local Government Area en route to Talata Mafara”.
He said troops, working alongside other security agencies and local intelligence networks, had stepped up efforts to rescue the victims.
Osoba urged residents to disregard “sensationalized narratives and unverified information” capable of causing panic or undermining the ongoing operation.
He also called on residents to remain vigilant and provide security agencies with timely and actionable intelligence.