Among those kidnapped were the wives of Abu-Bello Furfuri, a former Accountant-General of Zamfara State.

Source however said that the two wives, Hajia Khadija and Hajia Ade, were rescued by vigilantes in the region.

According to reports, the bandits are still holding two of his female children and some domestic staff.

Zulaihat Abu-Bello and Zainab Abu-Bello are the names of the abducted daughters.

The Furfuri settlement is only around 10 kilometers from Gusau, the capital city.

Abdullahi Shehu, a resident of Bungudu town, said the bandits attacked the community around 11 p.m. Sunday and went straight to the former Accountant-General’s residence.

“He (former Accountant General) lives with his family in Furfuri even when he was the accountant general, so it’s possible the attack was a deliberate one because they went straight to his house when they entered the community.”

Though Shehu said Furfuri was at home when the bandits struck, he said the man was helped by one of his domestic staff to leave the house through a back exit.

He said other houses were attacked. In one house, eight siblings were reportedly abducted by the bandits.

“What we know now is that 18 residents are with the bandits including Zulaihat and Zainab and three other domestic staff was taken from the former AG (Accountant General) house. Seven of them were taken but with the rescue of the two wives, he now has five people to save. The remaining 13 people were picked from other houses. They could be more than that but for now, this is what we’ve gathered.”

PREMIUM TIMES discovered from an anonymous member of the ex-accountant-family general that his two wives were rescued by a squad of local vigilance officers.

He said that immediately after the attack, the vigilance members mobilized their men and pursued the bandits.

“That’s how they do,” he said. “Anytime there is an attack, the vigilante members regroup and either block or chase the bandits to see if they can rescue some of the abductors.

“Immediately the bandits left Furfuri, we alerted the vigilante members who went after the gunmen and because the wives are too weak to walk the distance to where the bandits kept their motorcycles.”

He stated that the wives had been turned over to their husband.

When contacted, Mohammed Shehu, the spokesman for the Zamfara State police command, stated that he was at a meeting. He did, however, confirm the kidnapping but did not provide any specifics.