By Ado Oyeyemi
Five Islamic clerics abducted while travelling to Zamfara State for a special prayer session for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid have remained in captivity for 16 days.
The clerics, including Juma’at imams, were reportedly kidnapped on September 13 by gunmen suspected to be bandits while on their way to Talata Mafara in Zamfara State.
The prayer session was said to have been organised to seek divine support for Tinubu’s re-election campaign, with Senator Abdul’aziz Yari Abubakar, the Director-General of the President’s campaign council, reportedly linked to the event.
The clerics were ambushed at Gidan Suleiman Bature by the gunmen, who reportedly opened fire before taking the victims away to an undisclosed location.
The victims were identified as Malam Shehu, Liman Yahuza, his deputy, Liman Bala and Na’ibi Tasi’u.
The abductors were said to have contacted the victims’ relatives and initially demanded N100m as ransom. The demand was reportedly reduced to N30m following negotiations.
However, sources close to the families told Daily Trust on Monday that the whereabouts of the clerics had become unknown after the kidnappers allegedly moved them from their initial hideout.
The sources expressed concern that efforts by security agencies to locate and rescue the victims had yet to yield positive results as of Monday, September 29.
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The continued detention of the clerics has heightened concern among their relatives and associates, who are awaiting their safe release.
