Bandits Humiliate Police, Abduct Councillors and Imam in Zamfara

Under the cover of nightfall, a bandit/gunmen turned Tsauni community into a theatre of fear.

They stormed the quiet settlement in Gusau, disarmed Policemen by seizing their mobile phones, and then vanished into the bush with two Councillors and a local Imam in tow.

The attack, which happened around 8:05 p.m. on Wednesday, 1st October , 2025, unfolded within sight of a Police outpost, leaving residents stunned at the audacity of the criminals and the helplessness of the security agents.

The victims were no ordinary villagers. They included the Councillors representing Gidan Goga and Tsibiri wards in Maradun Local Government Area, and a respected cleric who had just concluded Maghrib prayers.

Initially, six people were taken, but three were released on the spot, as if to prove that the abductors knew exactly who they wanted.

Eyewitnesses said the operation was swift, calculated, and humiliating for the policemen stationed nearby.

“The bandits first went to the Police Officers, collected their phones, and then moved on to take away the Councillors and the Imam.

Not a single shot was fired by the Police. Everyone was afraid. The bandits walked like they owned the place,” one resident recounted.

The Zamfara State Police Command confirmed the abduction, insisting that a search-and-rescue operation was already underway.

But as of Friday morning, no contact had been made by the kidnappers, no ransom demanded, and no credible lead shared with the families.

For a State already burdened by years of bloodshed, cattle rustling, and mass kidnappings, the silence of the abductors only deepens anxiety.

This latest assault is more than another kidnapping story. It underscores the sheer vulnerability of rural communities in Zamfara, where state authority has been repeatedly undermined by bandit groups.

The decision of the attackers to confront security officers first, strip them of communication tools, and then cart away political leaders and a religious figure is being interpreted as a chilling message: no one is beyond their reach.

Security analysts say the abduction of politicians and clerics often serves multiple purposes — from ransom to exerting political influence and sowing fear among the populace.

In Zamfara, where communities have repeatedly cried out over abandoned villages, shuttered schools, and farmers forced off their land, Wednesday night’s attack only deepens the feeling of siege.

At the heart of the crisis are ordinary people, trapped between armed groups and security forces that often appear ill-equipped to respond.

Families of the abducted councillors and Imam now wait in agonizing silence, praying for safe return while residents whisper that the bandits may yet return.

For Tsauni, the night of fear lingers. For Zamfara, it is another reminder that the bandit war is far from over.

And for Nigeria, it is a stark question of how long citizens must endure a state of insecurity where even policemen can be stripped of their dignity — and their phones — in full public glare.