Gunmen suspected to be bandits have abducted a Kebbi State High Court judge, Justice Faruku Hassan Bunza, from his residence in Bunza Local Government Area of the state.

The judge was reportedly kidnapped in the early hours of Sunday at his home along Zogirma Road, shortly after returning from a trip to Sokoto.

Sources said the attackers stormed the residence at about midnight, firing sporadically before whisking the judge away.

No member of his family was injured during the attack.

"He had just returned from Sokoto when the gunmen stormed his residence and took him away," a source familiar with the incident said.

The source added that the matter was immediately reported to security agencies and the leadership of the Kebbi State High Court.

The Kebbi State Police Command confirmed the abduction, with the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bashir Usman, stating that Justice Bunza was kidnapped from his residence around midnight.

According to the police spokesman, the Commissioner of Police, CP Umar Muhammad Hadejia, has deployed tactical and intelligence teams to secure the judge's safe rescue.

"As we speak, our personnel are combing identified locations, including forest areas, to ensure that the judge is rescued alive and unharmed," Usman said.

A senior official of the Kebbi State High Court, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to comment publicly, described the incident as a tragic development for the judiciary.

"I am not authorized to speak formally, but this is a painful moment for us. To hear that one of our judges was abducted at his residence is very disturbing," the official said.

He disclosed that the management of the High Court had met with heads of security agencies in the state to strategise on securing the judge's immediate release.

As of the time of filing this report, no group had claimed responsibility for the abduction, while security operatives continued search-and-rescue operations to locate the judge and apprehend his abductors.