Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Armed bandits have killed the Director of Planning of Talata Mafara Local Government Area, Jamilu Sani, and the councillor representing Jangebe Ward, Muslimu Habibu, ten days after abducting them along the Jangebe–Talata Mafara road in Zamfara State. The chairman of the council, Yahaya Yari, confirmed the development during a condolence visit to the families of the deceased in Talata Mafara on Thursday, 28 May 2026. According to Yari, the two officials were kidnapped on 18 May 2026 while travelling from Jangebe to the local government headquarters to make arrangements for the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage.
The chairman told journalists that after days of negotiations, the bandits abruptly refused to accept any ransom. “They made it clear that they were not interested in collecting ransom. They said anyone they abducted from Jangebe would be killed,” Yari said. He added that in the final communication with the captors, the bandits confirmed that the officials had been killed. Salatul Gaib, an Islamic funeral prayer, was conducted for the deceased since their bodies could not be recovered. The attack underscores a retaliatory motive: local sources disclosed that the Jangebe community, with the support of the local government, had empowered a local militia known as Yan Sakai and invited the Civilian Joint Task Force from the North‑East to fight the terrorists. According to a government source who spoke anonymously, “a lot of their people (terrorists) were killed by our people (Jangebe), so that’s why they now say abducted people from Jangebe would be killed”.
A resident of Jangebe and close associate of the victims, speaking on condition of anonymity, gave a detailed account of the abduction. According to the source, five persons were travelling in a vehicle belonging to the Area Revenue Officer for Pilgrims Affairs, Sama’ila Ladan. The group was ambushed at a notorious flashpoint on the Jangebe–Talata Mafara road. “The bandits intercepted them at a notorious flashpoint on their way to Mafara,” the source said. “They killed the village head instantly after he resisted being taken away. They also shot the Area Revenue Officer in the hand and apparently assumed he was dead. The attackers then abducted the Director of Planning, Jamilu Sani, while two other occupants of the vehicle escaped into nearby bushes.” The Zamfara State Police Command spokesperson, DSP Yazid Abubakar, confirmed the incident and pledged that the police would remain relentless in fighting crime in the state.
The killings have left Talata Mafara and the Jangebe community in mourning, while highlighting the deepening security crisis in Zamfara State, where bandits have increasingly targeted government officials and communities that resist their operations. The local government chairman urged security agencies to intensify patrols and restore confidence among residents, as the Jangebe–Talata Mafara road remains a dangerous corridor.
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