The freed Kebbi State High Court Judge, Justice Faruk Hassan Bunza, has narrated how he was taken to the Dutsen Bandan enclave in Dakingari, Kebbi State, with his face covered.
Justice Bunza was abducted from his residence in Unguwar Chaki quarters in Bunza under the Bunza Local Government Area of Kebbi State on 26 July 2026 and released on August 3, 2026.
Bunza, who opted to speak off-camera, said,” About five armed men suspected to be bandits stormed my residence around midnight, firing several shots into the air to frighten residents before ordering me to follow them to an undisclosed destination with my face tied with a small wrap”.
“I thought they were taking me far, but ended up keeping me in one of their enclaves called Dutsen Bandan Hill in Dakingari under Suru Local government with only 20 of their gang members guarding us”, he added.
According to him, “when these bandits stormed my residence and asked me to follow them, I didn’t resist; I just followed them. They initially headed east along a road beside his house before turning north towards a small irrigation area known as Fadama. They later returned to the main road, crossed it and headed towards a hill west of Bunza town.
He added that from there, the abductors moved south towards the Bunza-Kamba Road before crossing the road and continuing on foot.
He said he trekked approximately 25 kilometres barefoot before reaching Tungar Bandan junction, where the kidnappers parked their motorcycles to avoid detection.
He revealed that they subsequently travelled another 24 kilometres by motorcycle before arriving at Dutsen Bandan, which he identified as the abductor’s main camp in Dakin Gari, headquarters of Suru Local Government Area.
He, however, noted that, overall, he was kept about 49km away from his family for 9 days.
Later, the Kidnappers demanded N200m ransom from his family members.
The judge further explained that following negotiations, the ransom was reportedly reduced to N50 million, which his relatives said was eventually paid on 3 August and was abandoned on a hill after most of the kidnappers left their camp following the payment.
He said that he met two other kidnapped men who were also being held at the camp when he arrived, while about five armed men guarded the area.
According to him, the 20 bandits operated from the camp, with some living there with their families, which he said the government can easily crush.
The judge also revealed that the presence of their families at the camp could complicate any military or security operation.
He said the camp operation is more like a settlement, with the bandits cooking, sleeping and interacting with their families.
He said the kidnappers showed him two photographs on their phone the day after he arrived at the camp, one of which was his photograph.
He said the other picture shown to him belonged to the chairman of the Bungudu Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
He said the kidnappers claimed they were instructed to abduct him and the chairman of Bungudu Local Government of Zamfara, but refused to disclose who instructed them.
“One thing that surprised me was that the bandits showed me a newspaper report about my abduction,” the judge said.
The Judge said the kidnappers told him President Bola Ahmed Tinubu directed that N200 million be paid for his release, but that someone had stopped the payment.
