Police confirm rescue of three kidnapped Zamfara clerics, three still held
- Zamfara police said three of six Islamic clerics abducted on September 12 have been rescued.
- The clerics were travelling to Talata Mafara for a prayer session for President Tinubu.
- Police said three clerics remain in captivity and operations to free them continue.
Three of the six Islamic clerics kidnapped in Zamfara State on September 12 have been rescued, the state's Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Bello, said on Friday in Gusau.
Bello told selected reporters that the rescue came from joint work by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the Department of State Services (DSS) and police operatives.
The clerics were travelling to Talata Mafara for a special prayer gathering for President Bola Tinubu's administration when armed men intercepted them around 11:30am on the Dakko-Damri feeder road near Sububu Forest in Bakura Local Government Area, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Three clerics are still in captivity. Bello said tactical operations are continuing, using real-time intelligence from local community members, to track the armed men and secure their release.
What we know about the victims
The sources named Imam Yahuza, Magawata Abdullahi, Malam Shehu Dakko, Imam Bala Fagon and Na'ibi Tasi'u among the clerics. The sources did not say which three were freed.
Their abductors reportedly demanded ₦30 million ransom. A senior security operative involved in the rescue said the three freed clerics were unhurt after intelligence-led operations.
NAN reported that they were in stable condition after medical checks and debriefing, and were to be formally handed over to the Zamfara State Government to reunite them with their families.
In September, the Nigerian Army confirmed the abduction but denied reports that it happened at the residence of former Zamfara governor Abdul'aziz Yari. The Army said the clerics were taken while travelling from the Sububu forest area in Bakura to Talata Mafara.
Police also said in September that a rescue operation had begun.
What happens next
The police are asking residents to keep passing on timely, useful information to help security agencies find the remaining clerics and other armed groups in the region.
The three rescued clerics are expected to be handed to the state government before returning to their families.
Kidnapping for ransom remains a serious danger on Zamfara's rural roads, where travellers and religious figures have repeatedly been targeted.