A Judge of the Kebbi State High Court, Justice Faruku Hassan Bunza, has been abducted by suspected bandits who invaded his residence in Bunza Local Government Area of Kebbi State.
The incident reportedly occurred around midnight on Sunday shortly after the judge returned from a trip to Sokoto.
According to sources, the gunmen stormed the judge’s residence along Zogirma Road and whisked him away after firing sporadically. No member of his family was injured during the attack.
A source familiar with the incident said the matter was immediately reported to the relevant authorities and the leadership of the Kebbi State High Court.
“He had just returned from Sokoto when the gunmen stormed his residence and took him away,” the source said.
The spokesperson for the Kebbi State Police Command, SP Bashir Usman, confirmed the abduction, saying security operatives had been mobilised to rescue the judge.
“I can confirm that Hon. Justice Faruku Hassan Bunza was abducted from his residence in Bunza around midnight,” Usman said.
He disclosed that the Commissioner of Police, CP Umar Muhammad Hadejia, had immediately deployed tactical and intelligence teams to track down the kidnappers.
“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 added.
A senior official of the Kebbi State High Court, who spoke anonymously because he was not authorised to comment publicly, described the incident as a painful 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.
He added that the management of the High Court had already met with heads of security agencies in the state to strategise on the judge’s immediate rescue.