Zamfara LG Chairman Abducted After Deadly Bandit Raid as Troops Launch Rescue Mission
Security Personnel Killed During Early Morning Attack
The Chairman of Bungudu Local Government Area in Zamfara State, Nura Abdullahi, has been abducted by suspected bandits following an early morning attack on his residence on Saturday.
The gunmen, reportedly operating in large numbers, stormed the chairman’s home and engaged his security team in a fierce gun battle before taking him away.
According to a resident of Bungudu, Abdullahi Na Allah Said, the attackers arrived in the town and headed directly to Abdullahi’s residence.
“They kidnapped him along with his wife and their children and moved to the forest,” he said.
Despite efforts by security personnel stationed at the residence to repel the assault, the attackers succeeded in abducting the chairman.
The resident said the clash left two police officers and two local vigilantes dead.
Army Rescues Five Family Members
Meanwhile, troops of Operation FANSAN YAMMA have launched an intensified operation to rescue the abducted local government chairman.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the Media Information Officer of the Joint Task Force (North West), Lt. Col. Aliyu Danja, said the attackers overwhelmed the chairman’s combined police and vigilante security team before abducting him along with members of his family.
Danja explained that troops responded after hearing gunfire and confronted the fleeing terrorists in a fierce exchange.
According to the statement, the military intervention forced the attackers to abandon five members of the chairman’s family, who were successfully rescued. Those rescued include two children, the chairman’s mother, his wife and another relative.
The assailants, however, escaped into nearby bushes with the chairman.
Casualties and Ongoing Search Operation
The Army said the attack resulted in the deaths of two police officers and one local vigilante attached to the chairman’s security detail.
It also confirmed that one civilian was killed, while the chairman’s elder brother, Alhaji Bello Umar, sustained injuries during the incident.
Following the abduction, the Theatre Command activated a coordinated search-and-rescue mission involving troops of Operation FANSAN YAMMA, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services and local vigilantes.
Security operatives are currently carrying out operations at locations believed to be linked to the attackers in a bid to secure the chairman’s release.
“The Theatre Command has deployed all available resources in the ongoing operation and remains in close coordination with participating security agencies,” the statement said.
The command assured the Zamfara State Government and residents that all lawful operational measures were being taken to ensure the chairman’s safe rescue.
It also urged members of the public to remain calm, continue their lawful activities and provide credible information through established security channels to support the ongoing operation.
