Police spokesperson Yazid Abubakar said the attackers intercepted the vehicle conveying the clerics, who were all identified as Imams, and drove them into the bush; security teams were combing the surrounding forests.
Some early reports linked the incident to a prayer gathering at the Talata Mafara residence of former governor and Senator Abdul'aziz Yari, suggesting five or six clerics were taken from the venue; however, the Nigerian Army refuted claims that the abduction occurred at Yari's residence, saying intelligence indicated the victims were abducted while travelling from the Sububu forest axis within Bakura LGA en route to Talata Mafara.
