Unknown Gunmen Kidnap Judge Inside Katsina Court

A Sharia court judge, Alhaji Hussaini Samaila, was on Tuesday afternoon kidnapped in the Safana Local Government Area of Katsina State.

Residents said gunmen suspected to be bandits reportedly swooped on the judge’s court located at Bauren Zakat village in the council and whisked him away.

The attackers broke into the court around 3pm on Tuesday and abducted the judge identified as Alhaji Husaini Sama’ila.

It could not be ascertained the mission of the judge at the court as judicial workers in the state were still observing the nationwide strike directed by their national union.

It is not clear why the judge was in court during the industrial action embarked upon by the Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN).

JUSUN had on April 6 embarked on a strike, demanding compliance with the provisions of sections 81(3), 121(3) and 162(9) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) on financial autonomy of the judicial arm at the state level.

The spokesman for the Katsina police command, Gambo Isah, confirmed the incident on Tuesday night.

He explained that an investigation has already commenced.

The police spokesman said the court had already been relocated to Safana town due to security challenges at the village.

He also explained that the judge did not request police protection while going to the village.

Isah said, “The court has already been relocated from the village to Safana due to security challenges. Also, the judge did not request police orderly and the necessary security backup that is supposed to be around when courts are sitting. So, nobody was aware of his visit to the court, more so, when there is an ongoing strike by the judicial workers.”

The gunmen are yet to contact the family of the judge as of the time of filing this report.