A joint tactical security operation in Zamfara State has secured the release of three out of six Islamic clerics abducted by armed bandits nearly seven weeks ago.
The clerics were kidnapped on Saturday, September 12, 2026, at approximately 11:30 a.m. when armed bandits ambushed their vehicle along the Dakko–Damri feeder road in the Bakura Local Government Area. The scholars were travelling to attend a special prayer gathering at the Talata Mafara residence of Senator Abdulaziz Yari, Director-General of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, convened to seek spiritual support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration and his 2027 re-election bid.
The breakthrough occurred on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, following a coordinated intelligence-led raid involving operatives of the Zamfara State Police Command, the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Office of the National Security Adviser. Zamfara State Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Bello, confirmed that the three rescued clerics were retrieved unharmed, administered medical evaluations, debriefed by investigators, and reunited with their respective families.
Initial reports had suggested the victims were abducted directly from Senator Yari’s private estate, but military authorities and the spokesperson for Operation Fansan Yamma, Lieutenant Colonel Olaniyi Osoba, clarified the operational record, confirming the vehicle was intercepted along the transit corridor near the Sububu Forest axis.
The State Criminal Investigation Department and tactical field units in Gusau are continuing tracking operations across the forested border corridors to locate and rescue the three remaining clerics still held captive.
