Bandits that reportedly abducted the Director of Planning with Talata Mafara Local Government Area of Zamfara State, Jamilu Sani; and a Councillor representing Jangebe Ward in the Council, Muslim Habibu, have been brutally murdered in captivity.
The two officials who were abducted on May 18, 2026 were reportedly murdered 10 days after their abduction by unidentified terrorists who turned down ransom for the release of the victims after a negotiation.
Information pieced together from local sources in Talata Mafara, indicated that the terrorists became angry with the Local Government and Jangebe people for daring to arm a militia group ‘Yan Sakai’, and also invited the Civilian Joint Task Force from the North-East to fight the them (terrorists).
Chairman of Talata Mafara Local Government Area, Mr. Yahaya Yari, who confirmed the killing of Sani and Habibu in Talata Mafara on Thursday, while on a condolence visit to the families of the deceased, said that the unfortunate incident took place after days of negotiations.
Yari said; “We began discussing ransom with them (terrorists) immediately after the abduction and at first, they made us believe they were serious. Late, the terrorists began acting weird towards me and the negotiators.
“They later said that anyone they abduct from Jangebe, they would not collect ransom, but they would just kill the person. The last communication we had with them, they confirmed that the two officials had been killed,” he said in pains.
It was gathered that the bandits abducted the deceased at gunpoint on their way from Jangebe while on their way to the Local Government headquarters to participate in Hajj activities for intending pilgrims from Jangebe.
Further checks indicated that Sani, Habibu and the council’s assistant revenue officer were driving from Jangebe to Mafara on May 18, when the gunmen attacked them on the Anka–Mayanchi highway, but the revenue officer managed to escape with gunshot wounds, while the two officials were subdued and abducted.
Since their dead bodies could not be retrieved from the bandits, an Islamic funeral prayer – Salatul Gaib was conducted for the late Local Government officials.
It was gathered that about a year ago, when the activities of the bandits became unbearable for the people of Jangebe, members of the community and stakeholders of the ward met and resolved to arm the Yan Sakai to fight the bandits.
The resolve of the community led to the bandits losing so many of their members in Jangebe, a development made the terrorists to start abducting people from Jangebe and killing them.
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Talata Mafara is in the western part of Zamfara that has become vulnerable to terrorists’ activities, especially on the roads that have turn to venues of brutal attacks particularly on the Mayanchi-Talata Mafara, Mayanchi-Anka-Gummi, and Danbaza-Maradun highways.