Gunmen suspected to be bandits have abducted the Chairman of Bungudu Local Government Area of Zamfara State, Hon. Nura Umar Bungudu, after a coordinated midnight assault on his residence that left four security operatives dead.
The attackers, who reportedly arrived in large numbers and wielded sophisticated weapons, invaded Bungudu town on Thursday night, heading directly to the council chairman’s residence in the Zango area, a community located less than 20 kilometres from the Zamfara State capital, Gusau.
Eyewitnesses said the assailants engaged security personnel attached to the chairman in a fierce exchange of gunfire before overpowering them. Two police officers and two local vigilantes were killed during the attack.
After neutralising the security team, the gunmen forced their way into the residence and whisked away the council chairman along with members of his family.
Residents said the attack was executed with precision, leaving security personnel with little chance to repel the heavily armed invaders.
A resident, who requested anonymity for security reasons, said the slain vigilantes had been at the forefront of defending the community against repeated bandit incursions.
“The bandits came with one mission and they executed it. The chairman’s security team fought bravely, but they were completely outgunned,” the resident said.
The source disclosed that the kidnappers initially fled with Hon. Bungudu, his wife and their children.
However, security operatives who immediately launched a pursuit reportedly intercepted the fleeing criminals and succeeded in rescuing between four and five of the abducted children.
Despite the rescue operation, the council chairman remained in captivity as of the time of filing this report, while the whereabouts of his wife could not be independently confirmed.
Residents said reinforcement teams arrived shortly after the attack but by then the gunmen had disappeared into the surrounding forests.
“The security personnel responded as quickly as they could, but the attackers had already completed their operation and escaped before additional forces arrived,” the source added.
The abduction is the latest in a string of violent attacks that have continued to ravage communities across Zamfara State despite ongoing military offensives against armed bandits.
The incident is expected to intensify fresh concerns over the worsening security situation in the North-West, where attacks on public officials, traditional rulers and rural communities have become increasingly frequent.
