Fresh details have emerged on the abduction of the Chairman of Bungudu Local Government Area of Zamfara State, Nura Umar Abdullahi, with family members alleging that heavily armed bandits operated for nearly two hours, killing four people before taking the council boss and four others away.
The attackers were said to have stormed the chairman’s residence late at night and appeared to possess detailed information about his movements and those of people around him.
According to Daily Trust, one of those initially abducted but later released, Abdulssalam Yunusa Mai Jama’a, popularly known as Abbati, said the gunmen demanded to know the chairman’s whereabouts after entering his room.
Yunusa, who is the chairman’s brother-in-law, said the attackers rejected his claim that Abdullahi was not at home.
“They entered my room while I was asleep and demanded to know whether the chairman was around. I told them he was not at home, but they hit me with a gun and insisted I was lying,” he said.
“They told me they knew the chairman had arrived with three people and that I was one of them. The others were my elder brother and the chairman’s son, Abba. That showed they had accurate information about us.”
Yunusa estimated that about 20 armed men participated in the attack.
According to him, the assailants initially struggled to break through three entrances leading to the chairman’s apartment.
“They later took me outside, tied my hands and kept me in the backyard. After some time, I saw them bringing out the chairman’s wife and daughter before they finally succeeded in bringing out the chairman himself,” he said.
The victims were subsequently marched across the main road towards the bush.
Yunusa said Abdullahi repeatedly appealed to the attackers to release members of his family.
“He told them, ‘They are all my children. Release them and take only me. I will give you whatever you want,’” he recalled.
The bandits eventually released the chairman’s family members but took Abdullahi and four other residents into captivity.
Yunusa identified the other abductees as Malam Halliru Ahmad Soja, Husseini Naira, Dan Tandu and Akilu, a domestic worker at the chairman’s residence.
Yunusa said the attack began between 10:40 p.m. and 10:50 p.m. and lasted for more than two hours.
He criticised what he described as a delayed response from security agencies.
“Had security personnel responded to the distress calls on time, none of us would have been abducted,” he said.
Another family member, Anas Ibrahim, popularly known as Dealer, described the incident as one of the most serious security breaches witnessed in Bungudu.
“The bandits operated freely in the heart of Bungudu for almost two hours without interruption,” he said.
Anas alleged that residents had earlier noticed suspicious movements in the town and raised concerns through social media channels.
“We informed the security agencies after seeing suspicious faces moving around town. We believed they would investigate, but nothing happened until the attackers struck,” he claimed.
Anas also alleged that the attackers positioned armed men around neighbouring houses to prevent residents from intervening.
According to him, the chairman’s elder brother, Alhaji Bello, a former state auditor, was shot three times while attempting to assist him.
“The bandits positioned two men outside our house and another two outside Alhaji Bello’s residence. When he came out after receiving the information, they opened fire and he sustained three gunshot wounds,” he said.
The chairman’s wife, Balira, said the abductors later directed those released towards a route leading back to Bungudu town.
“They showed us the way back home, and we returned through the ‘Yar Zaude area,” she said.
Anas said four people were killed during the attack.
He identified them as two police officers attached to the chairman, a vigilante known as Nura ADC and a water vendor popularly called Ba’are.
He lamented the security situation in Bungudu, saying residents were troubled that armed men could operate inside the town for an extended period without being confronted.
“It is heartbreaking that they carried out the operation for hours and left with the chairman without any interruption,” he said.
