Gunmen suspected to be bandits have abducted a High Court judge, Justice Faruku Hassan Bunza, from his residence in Bunza Local Government Area of Kebbi State.

A report by Vanguard quoted  a source to have said the attack happened in the early hours of Sunday at the judge’s home on Zogirma Road.

“He had just returned from Sokoto when the gunmen stormed his residence and took him away,” the source said. “They were shooting sporadically. Nobody in the house was hurt.”

The Kebbi State Police Public Relations Officer, 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.

He said the Commissioner of Police, CP Umar Muhammad Hadejia, immediately deployed tactical and intelligence operatives.

“As we speak, our personnel are combing identified locations, including forest areas, to ensure that the judge is rescued alive and unharmed,” the PPRO added.

A senior official of the Kebbi State High Court, who asked not to be named, described the incident as “a sad and painful moment for the judiciary.”

“To hear that one of our judges was abducted at his residence is very disturbing,” he said.

The official said the High Court management has already met with heads of security agencies in the state tostrategizae on securing the judge’s immediate release.

The abduction comes amid rising insecurity in parts of Kebbi and the Northwest, with courts, schools and public officials increasingly targeted.

Efforts to reach the Kebbi State Government for comment were ongoing as of press time.