Kidnapped Kebbi Judge Freed After Family Paid N50m Ransom
- A family member confirmed that N50 million was paid to secure Justice Faruk Hassan Bunza's release after eight days in captivity
- The kidnappers initially demanded N200 million before accepting the lower figure following days of negotiation with the family
- Kebbi State Police said it opposed ransom payment, even as the NBA and an African judges' body condemned the abduction
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The family of kidnapped Kebbi State High Court judge Justice Faruk Hassan Bunza has confirmed paying N50 million to armed bandits to secure his freedom, eight days after he was abducted from his home in Bunza Local Government Area.
Justice Bunza was taken in the early hours of Sunday, July 26, when gunmen stormed his residence on Zogirma Road shortly after he returned from a trip to Sokoto.
Source: Facebook
A family member told Daily Trust that roughly seven armed men followed him home, confronted him as he stepped out of his vehicle, and rode off with him on motorcycles after firing several shots. No one else in the household was physically harmed.
The judge regained his freedom on Monday, August 4, and was returned home in a commercial vehicle carrying firewood. A family source said news of his release came in between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m., and that he appeared physically well with no visible signs of distress.
How the Ransom Was Paid
According to a separate family member who spoke to DCL Hausa, the kidnappers directed the family to a location deep inside a forest more than 70 kilometres from Birnin Kebbi to hand over the money. The source said the abductors, believed to number about five, made an unusual request just before the handover.
"While we were on our way to deliver the money, they called and asked us to bring five bottles of malt drinks and five bottles of Dudu drinks. They opened the drinks and consumed them in our presence before collecting the ransom," the source said.
The family confirmed the kidnappers first demanded N200 million, but negotiations over the eight days of captivity brought that figure down to N50 million.
The Kebbi State Police Command, however, issued a statement saying it "maintains its firm stance against ransom payment," while confirming that a demand had been made. The command added that security agencies had begun tracking down the perpetrators.
Judiciary Bodies Condemn the Abduction
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), in a statement by its outgoing President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, described the abduction as "a grave assault on the judiciary, the rule of law, and Nigeria's constitutional democracy," and called for stronger security arrangements for judges nationwide.
The Africa Judges and Jurists Forum (AJJF), through its Chairperson Justice Professor Oagile Bethuel Key Dingake, said the incident "strikes at values that lie at the heart of every constitutional democracy," adding that judicial independence could not be preserved without guaranteeing the physical safety of judicial officers.
Justice Bunza's abduction was the second involving a sitting Nigerian judge in recent times, coming roughly a year after Bayelsa State High Court judge Ebiyerin Umokoro was kidnapped in June 2025. The family said it would address the media fully once the judge had completed his recovery.
Ondo monarch murdered by suspected bandits
Legit.ng previously reported that the monarch of Agamọ Community in Akure North local government area, Oba Kehinde Falodun, was reportedly killed by suspected bandits.
The incident occurred during an attempted abduction at the traditional ruler’s palace.
Source: Legit.ng
