The family of a High Court judge of Kebbi State, Justice Faruk Hassan Bunza, who was abducted at his home, has disclosed that they paid a ransom of N50 million to secure his release.
Justice Bunza was abducted by highly armed bandits who raided his residence in the early hours of Sunday, July 26 in Bunza Local Government Area of Kebbi State, Daily Trust reports.
The event is the second kidnapping of a serving judge in the country in recent years after the abduction of a Bayelsa State high court judge, Ebiyerin Umokoro, in June 2024.
Justice Bunza was rescued yesterday after eight days in captivity.
The Kebbi State Police Command, his family and the state Ministry of Justice announced his release.
Bashir Usman, a police spokesperson in the state, said in a statement that the judge was released early yesterday and was securely reunited with his family.
The statement said: “Police and other security agencies have now stepped up their investigative efforts to locate the perpetrators and bring them to justice following the judge’s release.
The leadership also praised the support of the members of the public and other partner security services during the operation.
It called on locals to continue giving discreet and actionable information that could assist security forces in arresting the kidnappers.
A family member of Justice Bunza, who talked to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity because he was not permitted to speak on the topic, verified that the abductors were given N50 million.
The judge is undergoing treatment and recuperating at his Bunza home, he said.
A family member said the kidnappers initially sought N200 million but subsequently settled for N50 million after discussions that lasted for days while the judge was in custody.
Since his release Monday, we have continued to care for him at home. You know that he needs time to heal from the trauma he suffered.
“We will speak to the media when he is fully recovered and we are ready to speak. Later we will tell of his sufferings at the hands of his kidnappers. On if any ransom was paid, the insider said: “Yes, N50 million was paid.
The source also appreciated the Kebbi State government, the security agencies, the state judiciary and the people of the state for their support, prayers and concern throughout the judge’s kidnapping.
“And we thank all those who stood by us in this difficult time, particularly the state government, the security agencies, the judiciary and all those who prayed for his safe return,” he said.
Another family member, who talked to the Hausa online platform, DCL Hausa, said the abductors, who are believed to be roughly five in number, got the ransom on Friday after sending the family to a spot deep inside a forest, more than 70 km from Birnin Kebbi.
Shortly before the ransom was paid, the kidnappers made an odd demand, the relative said.
“As we were going to deliver the money, they called and asked us to bring five bottles of malt and five bottles of Dudu. “They opened the drinks and they were drinking them in front of us and then they collected the ransom,” the person added.
News The family stated they heard of the judge’s release somewhere between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. yesterday.
“We heard about his release around 6 or 7 a.m. A family member stated he was taken home in a commercial van filled with firewood and dumped in front of the house.
The source said the judge seemed to be in good health and displayed no evident symptoms of physical hardship after he was liberated.
“He is healthy and strong. Nothing strange about his physical appearance,” the source said.
But the police leadership reported that the judge’s abductors demanded a ransom but it refused to pay it.
“The command is holding firm on the issue of ransom payment regardless of whether the kidnappers made a ransom demand,” police stated.
How Justice Bunza was abducted
The judge was attacked by gunmen on July 26 at his residence on Zogirma Road, Bunza Local Government Area of Kebbi State, shortly after his return from a trip to Sokoto.
The source stated no one else in the house was hurt, despite the gunmen fired multiple times before taking the judge.
A brother to the abducted judge, Malam Shehu Yusuf Bunza, recounted how the incident unfolded in a previous chat with our correspondent.
One of his sons, Abdullahi, called me while I was in Birnin Kebbi, Shehu stated. He reported that seven armed guys followed his father when he was coming back from Sokoto. They came to him as he was driving into his compound and getting out of his vehicle.
They asked him if he was Justice Faruku. He denied it, saying Faruku had gone to Birnin Kebbi but they insisted, they knew he was the person they were looking for.
He questioned them in Hausa, ‘Are you well?’ They told him to shut up but when he carried on they drew out their pistols and started shooting wildly.
They requested him to take them to his rooms, but he refused, stating there were married women inside.
They also enquired for one of his kids, Abdullahi, but he said the boy was away. Then they hauled him away on their motorcycles.”
The abduction caused uproar across the state and elicited condemnation from the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) that called the occurrence as a ‘grave assault on the judiciary, rule of law and Nigeria’s constitutional democracy’. Africans and the Diaspora
A statement by the outgoing President of the NBA, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, said: “The NBA condemns this reprehensible act in the strongest possible terms.
“Judicial officials have a hallowed place in our constitutional democracy and must be free to carry out their duties without fear, intimidation or threats to their lives and liberties.
Criminals are becoming bolder in their attacks on institutions and officials vital to the administration of justice. This represents a grave challenge to the faith of the public in our judicial system and emphasises the need for increased security measures across the country.
NBA demands better security arrangements for judicial officers in Nigeria.
“Judges must not be exposed to criminal attacks while performing the solemn constitutional duty of dispensing justice. “The protection of the members of the Bench is indispensable for the independence, integrity and effectiveness of the Judiciary,” the statement said.
Furthermore, the Africa Judges and Jurists Forum (AJJF), through a statement by its Chairperson, Justice Professor Oagile Bethuel Key Dingake, condemned the abduction.
The continental body called the act an attack on the fundamental norms underpinning constitutional democracy.
Dingake said: “An attack on a serving judicial officer is a matter of utmost gravity. “Whatever the reason for this incident, the kidnapping of a judge is an attack on values which are at the heart of every constitutional democracy.
He said the administration of justice hinged on judges being allowed to discharge their constitutional duties without fear, intimidation, compulsion or violence.
“This is why the safety and security of judicial officers is so important to judicial independence, public confidence in the justice system and the rule of law,” he said.
Bandit assaults have been experienced in Kebbi State over the years although the violence has primarily been centred in the southern and eastern areas of the state.
Most of the worst-hit districts border woodlands in Niger, Zamfara and sections of Sokoto states used by armed groups as hideouts.
One of the most high profile occurrences was in November 2025 when gunmen invaded the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area, killing the vice principal and abducting 25 schoolgirls. Later the students were saved.
Bunza LGA has not been a banditry hot spot in Kebbi, but the abduction of Justice Faruku Hassan Bunza marks a major escalation in the security situation in the state.
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