Family: We Paid ₦50 Million Ransom to Free Kidnapped Kebbi Judge

The family of Justice Faruku Hassan Bunza, a judge of the Kebbi State High Court, says it paid a ransom of ₦50 million roughly $36,500 at Nigeria's official exchange rate before he was freed from his abductors, contradicting police assurances that no payment was made to secure his release.

The abduction and release
Justice Bunza was seized by armed men from his residence along Zogirma Road in Bunza Local Government Area of Kebbi State around midnight on July 26, 2026, shortly after returning from a trip to Sokoto. The attackers fired shots as they left with the judge, though no one else in the household was hurt. He was freed on August 3, 2026, after more than a week in captivity.

Kebbi State Police Command spokesperson SP Bashir Usman by who you'd be asking: Police did not disclose whether any payment was made.

The family's account
A source within Bunza's family, however, told Daily Trust that the family had to pay ₦50 million before the judge regained his freedom. At Nigeria's official Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM) rate of roughly ₦1,368 to the dollar, that sum converts to about $36,550; at the parallel market rate, closer to ₦1,415 to the dollar, it comes to roughly $35,300. The source added that Justice Bunza would address the press directly once he had recovered from the ordeal.

Part of a wider pattern
Bunza's abduction was the second targeting a serving Nigerian judge in recent times. Justice Ebiyerin Umokoro of the Bayelsa State High Court was kidnapped in Yenagoa in June 2025 and freed after 12 days in captivity. The targeting of judicial officers adds to a broader wave of kidnappings for ransom that has continued to strain security in Kebbi and neighboring states, despite repeated police statements discouraging ransom payments as a matter of policy.

Following the judge's release, the Kebbi Police Command said it had intensified investigative efforts to track down those responsible and appealed to the public for information, promising confidentiality to informants.

Mustapha Bature Sallama.
Medical/ Science Communicator,
Private Investigator, Criminal investigation and Intelligence Analysis.

International Conflict Management and Peace Building.USIP

[email protected]
+233-555-275-880
References
Daily Trust, "How gunmen abducted Kebbi high court judge" https://dailytrust.com/how-gunmen-abducted-kebbi-high-court-judge/

Kanyi Daily, "Abducted Kebbi Judge Faruku Bunza Regains Freedom" https://www.kanyidaily.com/2026/08/abducted-kebbi-judge-faruku-bunza-regains-freedom.html

P.M. News, "Abducted High Court judge Faruku Bunza regains freedom" https://pmnewsnigeria.com/2026/08/03/abducted-high-court-judge-faruku-bunza-regains-freedom/

Vanguard, "Dollar to Naira exchange rate today, August 4, 2026" https://www.vanguardngr.com/2026/08/dollar-to-naira-exchange-rate-today-august-4-2026/