Justice Faruku Hassan Bunza of the Kebbi High Court was on Sunday abducted by bandits in Bunza area of Kebbi State.
Reports said the judge was abducted by gunmen suspected to be bandits in the early hours at his home along Zogirma Road in Bunza Local Government Area of Kebbi.
“He had just returned from Sokoto when the gunmen stormed his residence and took him away,” a source familiar with the incident told a national publication.
He added that nobody in the house was hurt while the attackers were shooting sporadically before whisking him away.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Kebbi State Command, SP Bashir Usman, confirmed the abduction.
“I can confirm that Hon. Justice Faruku Hassan Bunza was abducted from his residence in Bunza around midnight,” Usman said.
The PPRO said on receiving the report on his abduction, the Commissioner of Police, CP Umar Muhammad Hadejia, immediately deployed tactical and intelligence operatives to ensure his safe rescue.
“As we speak, our personnel are combing identified locations, including forest areas, to ensure that the judge is rescued alive and unharmed,” the PPRO said.
A senior official of the Kebbi State High Court, who pleaded for anonymity, confirmed the incident to journalists. He described the incident as a sad development for the judiciary.
“Though I’m not authorized to speak formally to the press, this is a painful moment for us.
“To hear that one of our judges was abducted at his residence is very disturbing,” he said.
According to him, the management of the High Court in Kebbi has already met with heads of security agencies in the state to strategize on securing his immediate release.