The preparation and spectral and magnetic properties are reported for complexes of cobalt(II), nickel(II) and copper(II) with 4(5)-bromoimidazole (Blz). The compounds (Blz)6CoCl2, (Blz)4NiX2(X = Cl, Br, or I), and (Blz)2NiX2(X = Cl or Br) possess essentially octahedral structures, whilst (Blz)2CoX2(X = Cl, Br, or I) and (Blz)2Nil2 are pseudotetrahedral. The compounds (Blz)2CuX2(X = Cl or Br) and (Blz)4CuBr2 have tetragonally distorted pseudo-octahedral structures. The structures of the ‘inner’ complexes (Blz′)2M (Blz′= C3H2BrN2, M = Co, Ni, or Cu) are described. The compounds (Blz)6NiCl2, (Blz)4CuCl2, and (Blz)6CuCl2 are shown to contain clathrated 4(5)-bromoimidazole. In the octahedral complexes the organic ligand is considered to be 5-bromoimidazole. The stoicheiometry and stereochemistry of the complexes are discussed in relation to the basicity and π-bonding properties of the ligands.