A judge of the Kebbi State High Court, Justice Faruku Hassan Bunza, has been abducted by suspected bandits from his residence in Bunza Local Government Area.
Police spokesperson SP Bashir Usman confirmed the incident, saying the judge was taken around midnight on Sunday after gunmen invaded his home along Zogirma Road.
“I can confirm that Hon. Justice Faruku Hassan Bunza was abducted from his residence in Bunza around midnight,” he said.
Usman said the Commissioner of Police, Umar Muhammad Hadejia, had deployed tactical and intelligence operatives to 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,” he said.
Residents said the attackers struck shortly after Justice Bunza returned from a trip to Sokoto.
“He had just returned from Sokoto when the gunmen stormed his residence and took him away,” a source said.
The source added that no one else was injured during the attack, although the gunmen fired sporadically before fleeing with the judge.
“Immediately the incident occurred, we reported to the appropriate authorities, including the leadership of the High Court,” the source said.
A senior official of the Kebbi State High Court, who declined to be named, described the abduction as a disturbing development for the judiciary.
“I am not authorized to speak formally, but this is a painful moment for us. To hear that one of our judges was abducted at his residence is very disturbing,” the official said.
The official added that the court’s management had met with security agencies to coordinate efforts toward the judge’s release.
No group had claimed responsibility for the abduction as of the time of filing the report.
