Bandits kidnapped the chairman of Bungudu Local Government Area in Zamfara State, Nura Abdullahi, during an early-morning attack on his home Saturday.
The assailants also killed four of his security team—two police officers and two local vigilantes—according to a resident of the town.
The raid happened after a large group of bandits stormed the chairman’s compound and exchanged heavy gunfire with his guards.
A local resident, Abdullahi Na Allah Said, told reporters that the attackers entered Bungudu, went directly to the chairman’s house, and took him along with several family members.
“They seized him, his wife, and their children, then fled toward the forest,” he said.
He added that the security personnel assigned to the chairman fought back but could not stop the abduction.
Two policemen and two vigilantes died in the shootout, he confirmed.
Attempts by PUNCH to reach the Zamfara State Police Command’s spokesperson were unsuccessful, as calls went unanswered.
Troops rescue five, continue search for chairman
In response, military forces under Operation FANSAN YAMMA have stepped up efforts to locate the chairman.
In a statement Saturday, the Joint Task Force (North West) media officer, Lt. Col. Aliyu Danja, said the terrorists overpowered the chairman’s police and vigilante guards before taking him and his relatives.
