A judge of the Kebbi State High Court, Justice Faruku Hassan Bunza, has been abducted by suspected bandits after gunmen invaded his residence in Bunza Local Government Area of the state.
The incident reportedly happened shortly after midnight on Sunday, July 26, at the judge’s home along Zogirma Road, only hours after he returned from an official trip to Sokoto State.
Residents familiar with the incident said the attackers stormed the house around 12:00 a.m., firing gunshots to scare people before taking the judge away.
One source told Daily Trust that the judge had only just arrived home when the armed men struck.
“He had just returned from Sokoto when the gunmen stormed his residence and took him away,” the source said.
The source added that although the attackers fired sporadically during the operation, no member of the judge’s household was injured.
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“Immediately the incident occurred, we reported to the appropriate authorities, including the leadership of the High Court,” the source said.
The Kebbi State Police Command has confirmed the abduction.
Police spokesperson SP Bashir Usman said officers were already carrying out rescue operations following the attack.
“I can confirm that Hon. Justice Faruku Hassan Bunza was abducted from his residence in Bunza around midnight,” Usman said.
According to him, the Commissioner of Police, CP Umar Muhammad Hadejia, immediately ordered the deployment of tactical and intelligence teams to track down the kidnappers and rescue the judge.
“As we speak, our personnel are combing identified locations, including forest areas, to ensure that the judge is rescued alive and unharmed,” the police spokesman said.
As of the time of filing this report, no group had claimed responsibility for the abduction.