Suspected bandits on Wednesday invaded a Shari’ah court in Gwarjo village, Matazu Local Government Area of Katsina State, forcing the presiding judge, Mohammed Muktar, to flee through a window to escape death or possible abduction.
The attack occurred around midday when the armed men reportedly stormed the court premises, firing sporadically while demanding to know the judge’s whereabouts.
According to residents, Judge Muktar spotted the approaching gunmen from a distance and quickly escaped through a window moments before they entered the courtroom.
“The bandits entered the courtroom, shooting indiscriminately and repeatedly asking where the judge was. Fortunately, he had already escaped through the window, and a commercial motorcyclist helped him flee before they arrived,” a resident told Daily Trust.
Another eyewitness said the attackers became enraged after discovering that the judge had escaped and threatened to kill him if he returned to preside over court proceedings in the community.
The incident has heightened fears among residents of Gwarjo, a community that has repeatedly come under attack by armed bandits in recent years.
As of the time of filing this report, the Katsina State Police Command had not issued an official statement on the attack. Efforts to obtain a response from the command’s spokesperson, DSP Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, were unsuccessful, as calls and text messages sent to him were not answered.
