KEBBI — The Nigeria Police Force has launched a coordinated rescue operation for a Kebbi State High Court Judge, Justice Faruku Hassan Bunza, who was abducted by suspected bandits in Bunza Local Government Area of the state.
Justice Bunza was reportedly kidnapped at about midnight on Saturday when armed men stormed his residence along Zogirma Road shortly after he returned from a trip to Sokoto State.
Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Kebbi State Command, SP Bashir Usman, said the command responded immediately after receiving a distress report.
He disclosed that the Commissioner of Police, CP Umar Muhammad Hadejia, had directed the immediate deployment of tactical and intelligence operatives to secure the judge’s safe rescue.
“As we speak, our personnel are combing identified locations, including forest areas, to ensure that the judge is rescued alive and unharmed,_” Usman stated.
According to him, security personnel have commenced intensive search operations in identified flashpoints, including nearby forests believed to be possible hideouts of the kidnappers.
Sources familiar with the incident said the gunmen invaded the judge’s residence shortly after he arrived from Sokoto and fired sporadically before whisking him away. No member of his family was injured during the attack.
The incident was promptly reported to security agencies and the leadership of the Kebbi State High Court.
Meanwhile, a senior official of the Kebbi State High Court, who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, described the abduction as a painful development for the judiciary.
He revealed that the High Court’s management had already met with the heads of the state’s security agencies to strengthen efforts to secure the judge’s immediate release.
As of the time of filing this report, no group had claimed responsibility for the abduction. The police said rescue operations were ongoing.
Police Launch Rescue Operation for Abducted Kebbi High Court Judge, Justice Bunza
