Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The roads leading away from Senator Abdul’aziz Abubakar Yari’s residence in Talata Mafara Local Government Area were quiet on Saturday evening, September 12, 2026, when the clerics began their journeys home. They had spent the day at the sprawling compound of the former Zamfara State governor and serving senator, joining what was described as a gathering of more than two thousand Islamic scholars and imams. The purpose was prayer. According to multiple accounts of the gathering, the scholars had assembled to seek divine intervention for peace, national unity, and the success of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress ahead of the 2027 general elections. It was a scene of spiritual solemnity and political alignment, the kind of event that has become increasingly common as the next electoral cycle approaches. But by the time the prayers ended and the clerics dispersed, five of them would never reach their destinations.
The victims have been identified as Imam Yahuza, the First Jumma’at Imam in Dogon Madacci; Magawata Abdullahi, the Second Jumma’at Imam in Dogon Madacci; Malam Shehu Dakko; Imam Bala Fagon; and Na’ibi Tasi’u of Tungar Nagudai. They had travelled from communities in Bakura and Talata Mafara Local Government Areas to attend the gathering. The abduction was disclosed by a crisis reporter covering the North-West region, Bakatsine, in a post on his X handle on Saturday evening. He said the clerics were abducted shortly after leaving the prayer session. Their identities, their roles as community religious leaders, and the circumstances of their abduction have combined to create a disturbing portrait of a region where even the most sacred spaces and the most prominent figures offer no guarantee of safety.
The gathering itself was significant. It was held at the residence of Senator Yari, who is not merely a former governor and serving senator but the Director-General of President Tinubu’s 2027 presidential campaign. The presence of more than two thousand Islamic scholars and imams at his home underscores the intersection of religious authority and political mobilisation in northern Nigeria. The clerics were not merely attendees at a political rally; they were spiritual leaders whose endorsement and prayers carry weight in their communities. Their gathering was intended to send a message of unity and support for the Tinubu administration and the APC as the country moves toward the next election. The fact that they were abducted on their way home from this event has raised uncomfortable questions about the reach and audacity of the armed groups that operate in Zamfara State and the capacity of the state to protect even those who are associated with its most powerful figures.
Bakatsine described the abduction as deeply troubling, particularly because the clerics were gathered at the residence of a prominent political figure. “If people can be abducted while attending a gathering at the residence of a prominent political figure, then where exactly are ordinary citizens supposed to feel safe?” he asked. The question is not rhetorical. It is a direct challenge to the Nigerian state and its security apparatus, which has struggled for years to contain the banditry and kidnapping that have turned large parts of the North-West into a theatre of violence. If a former governor’s home, a sitting senator’s compound, and a campaign director-general’s residence cannot serve as a security perimeter for a prayer gathering, then the assumption that proximity to power guarantees protection has been shattered.
The abduction has raised fresh concerns over the worsening security situation in Zamfara State. Bandit attacks and kidnappings have continued to affect communities across the state, and the abduction of religious leaders from an event associated with the ruling party is a stark illustration of the extent to which armed groups have been able to operate with impunity. The identities of the abductors and their whereabouts remained unclear as of the time of the report. Security agencies have yet to issue an official statement on the abductions. The Zamfara State police spokesman, Yezid Abubakar, has not responded to messages and calls sent to him seeking his comment. The silence from the authorities is not new. It is the same silence that has greeted previous attacks, the same silence that has allowed armed groups to operate across large swathes of the state without fear of consequence.
The timing of the abduction is also significant. It occurred on the same day that security forces were reportedly conducting operations in other parts of the state, and in the same week that residents of Talata Mafara Local Government Area had staged a protest over the relentless attacks and kidnappings that have made life in the area increasingly untenable. The protest, which took place on Friday, September 11, saw residents pour into the streets to demand the deployment of more security personnel and operational assets to vulnerable communities. They called for intensified patrols, surveillance, and intelligence-led operations. They appealed for stronger collaboration among the military, police, and other security agencies. Their demands were the minimum that any citizen should expect from a government that has sworn to protect lives and property. The abduction of the clerics the following day was a grim answer to their pleas.
For the families of the five imams, the wait for news has only just begun. They will spend the coming days and weeks in a state of suspended grief, uncertain whether their loved ones are alive or dead, whether they will be released, and whether any ransom will be demanded. The abductors have not made contact or issued any demands as of the time of the report. But the pattern of kidnappings in Zamfara suggests that a ransom demand may be forthcoming, and that the families will be asked to raise sums that could exceed everything they own. The clerics were spiritual leaders, not wealthy businessmen. Their abduction is a reminder that in the brutal economy of kidnapping, everyone is a commodity, and the price of a life is determined not by who you are but by what your family can raise.
The abduction of the five Islamic clerics after a prayer gathering at Senator Yari’s residence is a defining moment for Zamfara State and for Nigeria’s broader security crisis. It is a moment that demands more than the familiar statements of condemnation and the routine assurances that investigations are ongoing. It demands action. The security agencies must locate and rescue the victims. The government must address the conditions that allow armed groups to operate with impunity. And the nation must confront the uncomfortable truth that the abduction of five imams returning from prayers is not an isolated incident but the latest chapter in a long and bloody story that has turned Nigeria’s North-West into a region where the question is not whether the next attack will come, but who will be the next victim.
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