Just In: Bandits Abduct Kebbi High Court Judge in Midnight Raid

Onuminya Innocent in Sokoto A serving judge of the Kebbi State High Court, Justice Faruku Hassan Bunza, has been abducted by gunmen suspected to be bandits in a late-night attack on his residence in Bunza Local Government Area. The incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday along Zogirma Road in Bunza town, according to sources familiar with the matter. The judge was said to have just returned from an official trip to Sokoto when the attackers struck. Eyewitnesses told THISDAY that the gunmen invaded the judge’s house at about 12:00am. They shot sporadically into the air before whisking the jurist away. A source close to the family said no other occupant of the house was hurt during the raid. “He had just returned from Sokoto when the gunmen stormed his residence and took him away,” the source disclosed. Immediately after the abduction, the matter was reported to relevant authorities, including the leadership of the Kebbi State High Court, the source added. Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer, Kebbi State Command, SP Bashir Usman, said the command received the report around midnight. “I can confirm that Hon. Justice Faruku Hassan Bunza was abducted from his residence in Bunza around midnight,” he said. According to the PPRO, the Commissioner of Police, CP Umar Muhammad Hadejia, immediately ordered the deployment of tactical and intelligence operatives to track the abductors. “As we speak, our personnel are combing identified locations, including forest areas, to ensure that the judge is rescued alive and unharmed,” Usman stated. A senior official of the Kebbi State High Court, who pleaded anonymity, described the abduction as a sad 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,” he said. The official further revealed that the management of the High Court had already met with heads of security agencies in the state to strategize on securing the immediate release of the judge. As of the time of filing this report, no group had claimed responsibility for the abduction, and there was no indication of any ransom demand. Security operatives are, however, said to be intensifying efforts to rescue Justice Bunza unhurt.