Terrorists have kidnapped the chairman of Bungudu Local Government Area of Zamfara State, Nura Abdullahi, after raiding his residence in the early hours of Saturday.
The terrorists also killed four members of the chairman’s security detail, made up of two policemen and two local vigilantes, according to an indigene of the town.
The attack occurred after theterrorists, said to be in large numbers, invaded the chairman’s residence and engaged his security guards in a gun battle.
An indigene, Abdullahi Na Allah Said, who spoke with the press, said the bandits entered Bungudu town and headed straight to the chairman’s residence, where they abducted him and some members of his family.
“They kidnapped him along with his wife and their children and moved to the forest,” he said.
He said security men connected to the chairman’s residence attempted to repel the intruders but were unable to prevent the kidnapping.
According to him, two policeman and two vigilante members were slain during the gun duel.
The Joint Task Force (North West) Media Information Officer, Lt. Col. Aliyu Danja, said in a statement on Saturday that the terrorists overpowered the chairman’s police and vigilante security detail before kidnapping him and members of his family.
Meanwhile, troops of Operation FANSAN YAMMA have stepped up efforts to rescue the abducted chairman.
According to Danja, after hearing gunfire, the forces reacted and engaged the assailants in a heavy gunfight.
He said that five members of the chairman’s family—two children, his mother, wife, and a rescued relative—were left behind by the terrorists as a result of the intervention.
Nevertheless, the chairman and the assailants fled into the nearby bushes.
Two police officers and one local vigilante who were a part of the chairman’s security detail were killed in the attack, according to an Army statement.
Alhaji Bello Umar, the chairman’s older brother, was hurt, and a civilian was also murdered.
A concerted search and rescue effort including members of Operation FANSAN YAMMA, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services, and local vigilantes was initiated by the Theatre Command after the tragedy.
In an attempt to save the chairman, security personnel are presently conducting operations at suspected terrorist-affiliated places.
“The Theatre Command has deployed all available resources in the ongoing operation and remains in close coordination with participating security agencies,” the statement said.
The command assured the Zamfara State Government and residents that all legal and operational steps were being taken to ensure the chairman’s safe rescue.
It also urged members of the public to remain calm, carry out their normal activities, and submit reliable information through established security channels to aid the ongoing operation.
