Odimmegwa Johnpeter/Abuja
The Headquarters 8 Division Nigerian Army/Sector 2, Joint Task Force North West, Operation FANSAN YAMMA, and Zamfara State Police Command have launched a coordinated rescue operation following the abduction of six Islamic clerics along the Dakko–Damri feeder road in Bakura Local Government Area of the state.
The victims, all identified as Imams, were travelling to Talata Mafara when armed bandits reportedly ambushed their vehicle at about 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, September 12, 2026. The attackers, said to be armed with sophisticated weapons, intercepted the vehicle and whisked the clerics away.
The army through its Acting Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 8 Division, Lieutenant Colonel Olaniyi Osoba, said troops, working with sister security agencies and local intelligence networks, had intensified efforts to rescue the victims.
Also Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Yazid Abubakar, said the Divisional Police Officer for Bakura, upon receiving the report, promptly mobilised police personnel, including operatives of the Violence Crime Response Unit (VCRU), in collaboration with other security agencies. The joint team moved to the scene and commenced an intensive search of surrounding bushes in an effort to locate and rescue the victims and apprehend the perpetrators.
The Commissioner of Police, Zamfara State Command, CP A. M. Bello, has directed the operatives to intensify the operation and deploy all available resources towards securing the safe release of the abducted clerics. The Command also appealed to residents to provide credible and timely information that could assist security agencies in rescuing the victims and bringing the perpetrators to justice.
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