By Sadiq Abdulfatah

The Kebbi State Police Command says it is investigating reports that prominent Islamic cleric, Alhaji Muhammad Maibarga, has died in the custody of bandits who abducted him.

Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bashir Usman, stated that security agencies are aware of the reports and are taking steps to confirm them, while ongoing rescue operations continue for others still being held.

He noted that security forces are still conducting operations in Koko-Besse and Wasagu Local Government Areas, two locations that have witnessed repeated cases of kidnapping and banditry.

Details of Maibarga’s abduction were initially kept out of the public domain but later emerged through media enquiries and growing concern among residents.

The cleric was reportedly abducted alongside a former chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Koko-Besse LGA.

Public attention intensified after a video surfaced online showing the two elderly captives appealing for assistance from their place of captivity. Both men spoke about their declining health and the difficult conditions they were enduring.

In the video, the former APC chairman said they were being made to walk through forests for long distances despite their advanced age and health challenges. He appealed to government authorities, community leaders and relatives to help secure their freedom.

The footage generated widespread concern across Kebbi State and among Nigerians, with many calling for urgent intervention.

Subsequent reports suggested that Maibarga’s health worsened during captivity and that he later died as a result of the ordeal.

Following the development, members of his community performed Salatul Gha’ib, the Islamic funeral prayer offered when a deceased person’s body is absent, since his remains have yet to be recovered.

Meanwhile, the police have assured the public that efforts are continuing to rescue those still being held and to dismantle criminal networks operating in affected parts of the state.

Source: Politics Nigeria