Muktar Escape Through Window, Armed Bandits Storm Katsina State Shari’ah Court Open Fire While Hunting For The Judge

Mohammed Muktar, a judge in a Shari’ah court, barely avoided death or possible kidnapping on Wednesday after suspected bandits broke into a courtroom in Gwarjo village, Matazu Local Government Area, Katsina State, firing intermittently and demanding to know where he was.

Around noon, the heavily armed attackers stormed the court premises in what witnesses described as a blatant attempt to either kill or kidnap the judge, sending residents and court users running for their lives.

Residents claim that the gunmen repeatedly asked where Judge Mohammed Muktar was after entering the courtroom and firing randomly.

But the judge reportedly saw the assailants coming from a distance and took quick action, fleeing through a window just before the armed men entered the courtroom.

The bandits stormed into the courtroom, firing randomly and repeatedly inquiring as to the judge’s location. Luckily, a commercial motorcyclist assisted him in escaping through the window prior to their arrival, according to the resident.

According to the source, the attackers were furious when they learned the judge had escaped and threatened to kill him if he ever returned to oversee local court proceedings.

When the attackers were unable to locate the judge inside the courtroom, they publicly threatened him, according to another eyewitness.

The witness claims that if he carried out his judicial duties in Gwarjo, the attackers threatened to pursue him.

Residents of Gwarjo, a community in Matazu Local Government Area that has frequently experienced violent attacks by armed bandits in recent years, are now even more fearful as a result of the attack.

Concerns regarding the security of judges and other public servants working in rural areas beset by ongoing banditry are also raised by the attempted assault on the Shari’ah court.