By Hadiza Mohammed, Northern Operation
A Kebbi State High Court judge, Justice Faruku Hassan Bunza, has been abducted by people suspected to be bandits.
The judge was seized in his residence along Zogirma Road in Bunza Local Government Area of the state and forcefully taken away to a yet – to – be determined location.
The frightening incident reportedly occurred in the early hours of Sunday, shortly after the judge returned from an official trip to Sokoto.
According to reports, the gunmen stormed the residence at about midnight, firing sporadically to scare residents before whisking Justice Bunza away. No other member of the household was injured during the attack.
Confirming the abduction, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Kebbi State Police Command, SP Bashir Usman, said the Commissioner of Police, CP Umar Muhammad Hadejia, had ordered an immediate rescue operation.
He disclosed that tactical and intelligence teams had been deployed and were combing forests and other suspected hideouts to ensure the judge is rescued alive and unharmed.
A senior official of the Kebbi State High Court, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the abduction as a disturbing development and a direct threat to the judiciary.
The official said the court’s management had already met with heads of security agencies to coordinate efforts aimed at securing the judge’s immediate and safe release.
As of the time of filing this report, no group had claimed responsibility for the abduction, while security agencies continued search-and-rescue operations.
