Suspected bandits have abducted the Chairman of Bungudu Local Government Area of Zamfara State, Hon. Nura Umar Bungudu, after attacking his residence in Bungudu town and killing four security personnel.
The gunmen reportedly stormed the chairman’s residence in the Zango area late Thursday night, overpowering the security team attached to him before taking him and members of his family away.
A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said two police officers and two vigilantes were killed during the attack.
According to the source, the security personnel engaged the attackers in a fierce gun battle but were eventually overwhelmed by the bandits’ superior firepower.
The attackers initially took away the council chairman, his wife and their children. However, security personnel who pursued the fleeing gunmen reportedly succeeded in rescuing four or five of the children, while the chairman remained in captivity.
The source said reinforcement arrived after the attackers had left the area, raising fresh concerns over the response capacity of security agencies to attacks in vulnerable communities across the state.
He attributed the growing attacks to the sophisticated weapons reportedly available to the bandits, as well as the activities of suspected informants allegedly providing intelligence and other assistance to criminal groups.
The resident called on the Zamfara State Government and security agencies to strengthen security around Bungudu and other vulnerable communities to prevent further attacks and protect residents.
Efforts to obtain official confirmation from the Zamfara State Police Command were unsuccessful as calls and text messages sent to the command’s spokesperson, DSP Yazid Abubakar, were not answered at the time of filing this report.
The incident comes amid renewed concerns over the worsening security situation in Zamfara, where communities continue to face attacks, killings and abductions by armed groups.