Gunmen have abducted a Kebbi State High Court judge, Justice Faruku Hassan Bunza, after storming his residence in Bunza Local Government Area of the state, in what marks the second kidnapping of a serving Nigerian judge in just over a year.
The judge was reportedly seized around midnight on Sunday shortly after returning from a trip to Sokoto.
Police confirmed the incident, saying tactical and intelligence operatives had been deployed to rescue the judge and apprehend his abductors.
Kebbi State Police Command spokesman, SP Bashir Usman, said Commissioner of Police Umar Muhammad Hadejia had ordered an intensive search operation immediately after receiving reports of the abduction.
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“I can confirm that Hon. Justice Faruku Hassan Bunza was abducted from his residence in Bunza around midnight,” Usman said. “As we speak, our personnel are combing identified locations, including forest areas, to ensure that the judge is rescued alive and unharmed.”
A brother of the abducted judge, Malam Shehu Yusuf Bunza, said about seven armed men trailed Justice Bunza to his residence after he returned from Sokoto.
According to him, the attackers approached the judge as he got out of his vehicle and demanded to know if he was Justice Faruku.
Although the judge initially denied his identity, the gunmen insisted they knew who he was.
Shehu said when the judge continued speaking to the attackers, they opened fire before forcing him onto their motorcycles.
The gunmen also demanded to be taken into the judge’s rooms but he refused, saying married women were inside the house.
They reportedly asked for one of his sons, Abdullahi, but left with the judge after being told the young man was not at home.
No other member of the family was injured during the attack despite the heavy gunfire.
The incident was immediately reported to the police and the leadership of the Kebbi State High Court.
A senior judiciary official described the abduction as a disturbing development, revealing that court authorities had already met with security agencies to coordinate efforts toward the judge’s rescue.
Governor Nasir Idris’ Chief Press Secretary, Ahmed Idris, said the state government was working closely with security agencies to ensure Justice Bunza regained his freedom.
“The governor has directed security personnel to intensify efforts to rescue him. We are optimistic that he will soon be rescued and reunited with his family,” he said.
Justice Bunza’s abduction comes barely a year after Bayelsa State High Court judge, Justice Ebiyerin Umokoro, was kidnapped in June 2025 and released after spending 12 days in captivity.
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Although Kebbi has experienced repeated bandit attacks in recent years, most incidents have been concentrated in parts of the state bordering Zamfara, Niger and Sokoto.
The kidnapping of a serving High Court judge from his residence is widely seen as a significant escalation in the state’s security challenges.
Justice Faruku Hassan Bunza, born on November 15, 1960, was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1990 after graduating from the Nigerian Law School in Lagos. Before his appointment as a High Court judge in 2012, he served as a magistrate, Chief Magistrate and Deputy Chief Registrar.
