AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Al-Azhar Observatory, referring to the kidnapping of 6 congregational imams by armed individuals on their way to a religious gathering, announced that the continued payment of ransoms to kidnappers has become one of the important sources of financing for armed groups and criminal networks in northwestern Nigeria and could provide the ground for the expansion of these crimes and the targeting of religious and social figures.
Al-Azhar Observatory for Combating Extremism issued a statement in response to the kidnapping of 6 congregational imams in Zamfara State in northern Nigeria. These individuals were kidnapped by armed individuals while traveling to participate in a religious gathering sponsored by a member of the Senate in the city of Talata Mafara.
The army and police of Zamfara State confirmed the incident on one of the remote roads and announced the start of extensive operations to identify the location of the kidnapped individuals and efforts to free them.
Al-Azhar Observatory announced that this incident occurred in circumstances where the northwestern regions of Nigeria, including Zamfara, Kaduna, and Katsina, continue to face a wave of insecurity and instability. According to this center, armed groups and criminal gangs, using the weakness of security control in rural and remote areas, have turned kidnapping for ransom into one of the main sources of financing their activities.
Ransom-Taking; An Important Source of Financing for Armed Groups
Al-Azhar Observatory, referring to the role of paid ransoms in financing armed groups and criminal networks, cited a report by SBM Intelligence, according to which the total ransoms paid in Nigeria from July 2025 to June 2026 reached approximately 7.78 billion naira, equivalent to nearly 5.8 million dollars.
The center, at the same time, emphasized that the real figure is likely higher than this amount, because some kidnapping cases are not reported for various reasons.
Warning About Targeting Religious Figures
Al-Azhar Observatory, referring to the kidnapping of 6 congregational imams, considered this incident a worrying sign of the expansion of armed crimes and the entry of religious and social figures into the list of targets of armed groups.
The center warned that the continued financial flow from ransom payments leads to strengthening criminal networks and encouraging them to expand the scope of their operations and increase the number of victims.
Al-Azhar Observatory emphasized the necessity of drying up the financial sources of armed groups, strengthening security measures on roads and in rural areas, and increasing coordination among security agencies to protect citizens and religious and social figures.
The center also noted that confronting the phenomenon of kidnapping is not limited to a security confrontation with the perpetrators of these crimes, but their power to continue criminal activities must also be reduced by blocking their financial sources.
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