Residents of Bungudu Local Government Area in Zamfara State were thrown into mourning on Friday night after suspected bandits in Zamfara killed four security personnel and abducted the council chairman.
Local sources informed PREMIUM TIMES that around 11:40 p.m., the council chairman, Nura Abdullahi, was snatched from Bungudu town alongside two other residents.
Jamilu Bungudu, a media aide to federal lawmaker Abdulmalik Zubairu (representing the Bungudu/Maru Constituency), revealed that the attackers breached the chairman’s official residence, abducting Mr. Abdullahi along with Halliru Soja, a worker at the Federal Medical Centre in Gusau, and Hussaini Naira, a POS operator.
Mr. Bungudu stated that during the attack, the assailants shot and killed four security personnel attached to the chairman before fleeing with the captives.
The victims were identified as Inspector Basiru Lawal, Police Constable Hamza Muhammad, and two local vigilantes, Nura ADC and Ibrahim Baare. Bello Abdullahi, a former treasurer in the state Ministry of Finance, was also wounded in the raid.
Efforts to contact Zamfara State Police spokesperson Yazid Abubakar for official confirmation proved unsuccessful prior to publication.
Bungudu Local Government Area, situated roughly 21 kilometers from the state capital of Gusau, remains a frequent target for bandits in Zamfara and their networks operating through ransom abductions and assaults on security forces.
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Backstory…
Recall that in April, armed bandits riding more than 50 motorcycles stormed Yarkatsinan Laka, a nearby settlement. They targeted a nearby security outpost and a clinic, killing two police officers, two health workers, and a patient.
Despite intensified counter-insurgency measures by security forces—including a May operation where police neutralized two bandits during an attempted raid in Bungudu’s Nahuce District—violent attacks continue to plague the area.
In subsequent clearing operations along major transit routes like the Bilbis-Kuncin Kalgo corridor, specialized police units uncovered and safely detonated pressure-plate Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) planted by bandit factions to target security patrols and travelers.
Bungudu’s rural populations have faced recurrent attacks. Bandits in Karakkai and Gwargwabe have burnt down homes, killed residents, and destroyed dozens of food storage silos, worsening the region’s humanitarian and food security issues.
