Bandits abduct Zamfara LG chairman, kill four

Armed bandits have abducted the Chairman of Bungudu Local Government Area in Nigeria's Zamfara State, Nura Umar Abdullahi. The brazen attack, which occurred at the chairman's residence, also resulted in the deaths of four individuals, including two police officers and two local vigilantes who attempted to intervene.

A family source indicated that the gunmen initially took Abdullahi, his mother, wife, and two children. However, the family members were later released a short distance away, while the abductors proceeded with the council chairman, a health worker from the Federal Medical Centre in Gusau, and a Point of Sale (POS) operator.

During their escape, the bandits reportedly engaged in a gun battle with security personnel and local vigilantes. Stray bullets injured several people, including Bello Umar Abdullahi, a retired treasurer for the Zamfara State Ministry of Finance and the abducted chairman's elder brother. The chairman's wife stated that the bandits explicitly targeted only the council boss.

Lt. Col. Aliyu Danja, Media Information Officer for the Joint Task Force Operation Fansan Yamma, confirmed that Nigerian Army troops successfully rescued the abducted chairman's family members following a fierce exchange of gunfire with the bandits.

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They released us at a shallow distance into the bush.