Abductors of six Islamic clerics in Zamfara State have demanded the sum of N30 million to release them, Daily Trust has gathered.
The clerics were abducted last week Saturday at Gidan Bature village in Damri Ward, Bakura Local Government Area of the state, while on their way to Talata Mafara.
A resident of Dakko village in Bakura LGA, Malam Muhammad Ibrahim, confirmed the ransom demand in a telephone interview on Saturday.
According to him, the bandits actually abducted eight persons in total - five Imams, their driver, and two other persons who were abducted on their way back from the farm.
Ibrahim said the driver has now regained freedom after his family paid N2 million ransom.
He said: “The bandits actually abducted eight persons — five Imams, their driver, and two other people who were abducted on their way home from the farm.
We heard that the bandits demanded only N300,000 each and two 25-litre jerrycans of petrol as ransom for the two men abducted on their way from the farm. For the driver, the bandits collected N2 million ransom from his family.
The driver was released today (Saturday) and has since reunited with his family in Kwatsama village. We also heard that preparations are being made for the payment of the N30 million ransom to free the abducted imams.
According to reliable information, a serving senator from Zamfara State has pledged to pay the ransom to free the Imams. We hope this won’t take long.”
Ibrahim appealed to the authorities to intensify efforts to secure the freedom of the remaining victims, expressing worry over the health of the aged clerics.
“The Imams are aged and their stay in the bandits’ den alone could make their health conditions deteriorate. The government should therefore hasten efforts to free them,” he said.
Also speaking, a son of one of the kidnapped Imams, who pleaded anonymity, said families of the victims have been encouraged by the new development.
“This new development has raised our hope regarding the return of our fathers and the other religious leaders. We are hoping that the money can be raised before the expiration of the deadline given by the bandits,” he said.
Daily Trust reports that the abducted clerics are Malam Muhammadu Shehu, Chief Imam of Dakko Juma’at Mosque; Malam Murtala Dakko, Deputy Imam, Dakko Juma’at Mosque; Malam Muhammad Yahuza, Chief Imam of Dogon Madacci 1st Juma’at Mosque; Malam Magawata Abdullahi, Chief Imam of Dogon Madacci 2nd Juma’at Mosque; Malam Bala Hogun, Chief Imam of Hogun Juma’at Mosque and Malam Muhammad Tasi’u, Chief Imam of Kwatsama Juma’at Mosque.
Multiple sources said the clerics were ambushed along the Dakko-Damri feeder road while travelling to a meeting at the residence of Senator Abdulaziz Yari in Talata Mafara.
“You know that in an effort to escape bandits, travellers have deserted major roads. We now resort to feeder roads for safety. Unfortunately for the clerics, the bandits staged an ambush along the Dakko-Damri feeder road and abducted them.
We suspect the abductors had prior knowledge of the route the clerics followed. Bakura shares borders with Bukkuyum and Anka. So the clerics travelled through feeder roads from Lambar Bakura to Dambi, and then to Sabon Garin Dambi before heading to Talata Mafara,” a source said.
Another cleric, Malam Hassan Mai-Fanta, Chief Imam of Izala 2nd Mosque in Shinkafi town, who also attended the meeting, said he left Talata Mafara earlier than the victims.
“I also attended the meeting at Senator Abdulaziz Yari’s residence, but those of us from Shinkafi Local Government left Talata Mafara town earlier than the abducted scholars. I only heard about their abduction yesterday.
This is unfortunate. The bandits spare nobody. If they could have the audacity to kidnap Islamic scholars, then who will be spared? I urge the government to ensure the rescue and safe return of the abducted clerics,” he said.
