Imam and Seven Others Abducted, Ransom Demanded

On February 8, 2026, an imam, a muazzin (prayer caller), and six others were abducted while preparing charcoal on the outskirts of Dogon Ruwa. Idu Mustafa, a member of the mosque committee, escaped the abduction and reported that the kidnappers demanded a ransom of 16 million naira, a sum the families cannot afford.

Mustafa recounted that ten members of the mosque committee were involved in the charcoal business to raise money for Quranic studies during Ramadan when armed men on motorcycles stormed the area, shooting to scare the victims. Eight individuals were captured, including the imam and the muazzin.

The police spokesperson, SP Alabo Alfr, did not respond to inquiries at the time of the report. This incident follows a previous ambush on July 29, 2025, where bandits attacked soldiers and killed two.

In response to the persistent banditry and kidnapping activities plaguing the region, the Nigerian Army deployed 300 soldiers to the area on February 9, 2026.