Terrorists abduct Bungudu council chairman, four killed in Zamfara attack

By Zainab Uzomah|Abuja

Armed terrorists have abducted the Chairman of Bungudu Local Government Area of Zamfara State, Hon. Nura Umar Abdullahi, following an attack on his residence in the early hours of Saturday, July 25, 2026.

In a statement signed by the Media Information Officer of the Joint Task Force (North West), Operation FANSAN YAMMA, Lieutenant Colonel Aliyu Danja, the military said the terrorists overpowered the chairman’s police and vigilante security detail before abducting him alongside members of his family.

Danja said troops responded swiftly after hearing gunshots and engaged the terrorists in a fierce exchange of fire. The intervention forced the attackers to abandon five members of the chairman’s family, including two of his children, his mother and wife, who were subsequently rescued. The terrorists, however, escaped into the surrounding bushes with the council chairman.

The attack claimed the lives of two policemen, a local vigilante and a civilian, while the chairman’s elder brother, Alhaji Bello Umar, sustained injuries. The military said the security personnel were killed while resisting the attackers.

Following the incident, the Theatre Command launched a coordinated search-and-rescue operation involving troops of Operation FANSAN YAMMA, the Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services and local vigilantes. Security forces are currently conducting operations around suspected locations of the terrorists in an effort to safely rescue the abducted chairman.

The Theatre Command said all available resources had been deployed for the operation and assured the Zamfara State Government and residents that every lawful measure was being taken to secure the chairman’s release and bring the perpetrators to justice.

The military urged residents to remain calm and continue their lawful activities while providing credible information through established security channels that could assist the ongoing rescue operation.