Ransom appeals for kidnap victims have dominated Friday prayers in Talata Mafara, Zamfara State, as families struggle to raise money to free their kidnapped members.
Sundry announcements that are traditionally made after the two-raka’at prayers on Fridays have been overtaken by calls to residents to make ransom donations. This is coming as bandits continue to attack communities, driving away thousands from their homes and crippling farming and traveling in the area.
A journalist, Dahiru Samaila Mafara, who disclosed this on his Facebook page, said the majority of post-prayer announcements at the Late Sheikh Abubakar Mahmud Gummi Jumu’at Mosque in Talata Mafara town were now desperate pleas for money to pay bandits holding relatives captive.
“Before Jumu’at prayers, I met dozens of people, mostly women and children carrying heavy loads and heading toward our area,” Mafara said. He said sources informed him that the displaced persons came from Mayanchi town in Maru Local Government Area after frequent bandit attacks. “Many said they had lost loved ones, while others still have family members in captivity,” he said.
He added that the displacement followed a deadly attack on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, between 3pm and 4pm, where armed men suspected to be bandits invaded Sauna District in Talata Mafara LGA, about 20 kilometers from Talata Mafara town, killing 25 farmers.
The attack has further restricted movements in the area. “Farmers can no longer go to their farms freely. Civil servants cannot travel by road to work. IDPs have no shelter and no food,” Mafara stated.
He said fear, grief, anxiety and hunger are now prevalent in the community, warning: “If nothing is done urgently, the consequences will be severe.”
Mafara prayed to Almighty Allah for peace to return to the area and for the repose of the souls of those killed.
Dateline Nigeria reports that Talata Mafara and Maru LGAs are among the local governments in Zamfara State in northwestern Nigeria where criminal gangs, popularly known as bandits, have repeatedly attacked communities and kidnapped residents for ransom. The attacks have increased recently, forcing residents to flee to urban centers for safety.