The Chairman of Bungudu Local Government Area of Zamfara State, Nura Abdullahi, has been abducted by armed bandits following a pre-dawn attack on his residence.
The attackers stormed the chairman’s home in the early hours of Saturday, engaging his security personnel in a gun battle before fleeing with him into the surrounding bush.
Residents said the attackers initially abducted the chairman alongside members of his family after overpowering the security detail guarding the residence.
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However, troops of Operation FANSAN YAMMA later rescued five members of his family during a military response to the attack.
In a statement issued by the Joint Task Force (North West), troops responded after hearing gunfire and confronted the fleeing terrorists, forcing them to abandon the chairman’s wife, mother, two children and another relative.
The military said the attackers escaped with the council chairman despite the intervention.
According to the statement, two police officers, one local vigilante and one civilian were killed during the attack, while the chairman’s elder brother, Alhaji Bello Umar, sustained injuries.
The Theatre Command has since launched a coordinated search-and-rescue operation involving Operation FANSAN YAMMA, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services and local vigilante groups.
Security forces are conducting operations at suspected terrorist hideouts in an effort to rescue the abducted chairman.
The military assured the Zamfara State Government and residents that all available operational resources have been deployed to secure his safe release while urging members of the public to provide credible information that could assist ongoing operations.
