In a daring late-night operation, suspected bandits have kidnapped Justice Faruku Hassan Bunza, a serving judge of the Kebbi State High Court, from his home in Bunza Local Government Area, Kebbi State.
​The incident occurred at approximately 12:00 AM on Sunday, July 26, 2026, along Zogirma Road in Bunza town. According to family members, Justice Bunza was targeted barely hours after returning from an official assignment in neighboring Sokoto State.
​Eyewitnesses reported that the heavily armed invaders fired indiscriminately into the air to disorient neighbors before breaking into the compound. The assailants forcibly seized the jurist and fled the scene before community members or security personnel could intervene.
No other family members were injured or taken during the assault. ​Confirming the abduction, SP Bashir Usman, the Public Relations Officer for the Kebbi State Police Command, stated that security agencies received emergency reports shortly after midnight. ​
“I can confirm that Hon. Justice Faruku Hassan Bunza was abducted from his residence in Bunza around midnight,” SP Usman said. “The Commissioner of Police, CP Umar Muhammad Hadejia, immediately deployed tactical and intelligence units to track the abductors.
As we speak, our personnel are combing identified locations, including surrounding forest reserves, to ensure that the judge is rescued alive and unharmed.” ​Reactions have poured in following the raid.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior administrative official at the Kebbi State High Court described the attack on a judicial officer as a grave and deeply concerning development.
The court leadership has already initiated high-level consultations with state security chiefs to coordinate rescue strategies. ​Meanwhile, Justice Bunza’s family released a statement appealing to law enforcement agencies to deploy every available resource to secure his release, while asking the public for prayers for his safe return.
​As of Sunday evening, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and no ransom demands have been communicated to the family or authorities. Operational teams from joint security forces remain deployed across transit routes and forest corridors in the region.
