Kidnappers seek N200m to free Kebbi High Court judge

Kidnappers who abducted a Kebbi State High Court Judge, Justice Faruku Hassan Bunza, have demanded a N200 million ransom for his release as security operatives intensify efforts to rescue him.

The Kebbi State Commissioner of Police, Umar Muhammad Hadejia, disclosed the ransom demand while briefing journalists on Monday in Birnin Kebbi.

Hadejia said the police received intelligence about the demand after launching a swift response to the judge’s abduction, which occurred in the early hours of Sunday at his residence on Zogirma Road in Bunza.

He said the command had deployed a combined team of police operatives to comb suspected escape routes used by the kidnappers in a bid to rescue the judge unharmed and arrest those responsible.

According to the commissioner, security personnel have also mounted multiple checkpoints along strategic routes believed to have been used by the abductors to prevent their escape.

He expressed confidence that the ongoing operation would lead to the judge’s safe rescue and the arrest of the kidnappers.

Hadejia also confirmed the killing of a suspected kidnapper, Abdulaziz Dogo, and the arrest of another suspect, Ibrahim Abdulwahab, both residents of Ilesha in Kwara State, over the abduction of former Kebbi State Deputy Speaker, Muhammad Samaila Bagudo, on October 31, 2025.

The police commissioner advised residents, particularly government officials, to avoid travelling late at night, warning that such journeys expose them to attacks by bandits and kidnappers.

He said the judge’s family informed the police that Justice Bunza frequently travelled at night despite repeated security warnings.

Hadejia added that the family also reported that the kidnappers had contacted a registrar of the High Court in Abuja to negotiate the N200 million ransom.