Bandits kill four security operatives, abduct Zamfara LG chairman

Suspected bandits have abducted the Chairman of Bungudu Local Government Area of Zamfara State, Nura Abdullahi, after killing four security personnel attached to him during an attack on his residence.

According to Premium Times, the attack occurred around 11:40 p.m. on Friday in Bungudu town, where the gunmen reportedly stormed the chairman’s official residence and whisked him away alongside two other residents.

A media aide to the lawmaker representing Bungudu/Maru Federal Constituency, Abdulmalik Zubairu, Jamilu Bungudu, said the victims abducted with the chairman were Halliru Soja, a staff member of the Federal Medical Centre, Gusau, and Hussaini Naira, a Point of Sale operator.

The assailants killed four security operatives attached to the chairman during the raid before fleeing with the victims.

The slain security personnel were identified as Basiru Lawal, Hamza Muhammad, police inspector and constable, respectively.

Others are vigilantes namely Nura ADC and Ibrahim Baare.

The report added that Bello Abdullahi, a former treasurer in the Zamfara State Ministry of Finance, sustained injuries during the attack.

Efforts by The ICIR to obtain an official response from the Zamfara State Police Command were unsuccessful.

The attack is the latest in a series of security incidents in Bungudu Local Government Area, which has remained vulnerable to bandit activities despite ongoing military operations in Zamfara State.

Several communities in the council area have witnessed kidnappings, killings and raids in recent months, with residents repeatedly raising concerns over the activities of armed groups operating in nearby forests.

In March, the bandits killed three people and set several houses and shops ablaze in Dangoro village in the Local Government Area.

Nurudeen Akewushola is an investigative reporter and fact-checker with The ICIR. He believes courageous in-depth investigative reporting is the key to social justice, accountability and good governance in society. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 on Twitter.