On Wednesday evening, armed bandits abducted two active councillors along with an Islamic cleric in the Tsauni community of Gusau Local Government Area, Zamfara State. The assailants also confiscated mobile phones from police officers stationed at a nearby checkpoint.
The two councillors, representing Gidan Goga and Tsibiri Wards within Maradun Local Government Area, were reportedly kidnapped around 8:05 p.m., shortly after they had completed the Maghrib prayers.
Hon. Sanusi Gama Giwa, the Chairman of Maradun LGA, verified the occurrence and confirmed that the abducted individuals are members of his council.
He detailed that the victims were gathered at a local tea spot with others when the gunmen launched their attack.
“This took place right outside a police station where officers are regularly posted. The bandits even seized phones from the policemen without any resistance, and no one was physically harmed,” Giwa stated.
Giwa further revealed that the kidnappers initially sought a specific person from Kaura village. Failing to locate him, they instead abducted six men, releasing half of them before fleeing with the councillors and the cleric.
Tsauni, the location of the abduction, has previously served as a refuge for internally displaced persons escaping violence in nearby communities, raising serious concerns about the area’s security.
DSP Yazid Abubakar, the spokesperson for the Zamfara State Police Command, confirmed the incident and assured that security forces have been deployed to conduct a rescue mission.
“We are fully committed to recovering the abductees and apprehending those responsible,” Abubakar said, appealing to locals to share reliable information that could aid the ongoing efforts.
At the time of reporting, the kidnappers had not yet reached out to the families of the victims or made any ransom demands.
