The attack, which occurred around midday, sent residents and court users fleeing for safety as the heavily armed assailants stormed the court premises in what witnesses described as a brazen attempt to either kill or abduct the judge.
A Shari’ah court judge, Mohammed Muktar, narrowly escaped death or possible abduction on Wednesday after suspected bandits invaded a courtroom in Gwarjo village, Matazu Local Government Area of Katsina State, firing sporadically and demanding to know his whereabouts.
The attack, which occurred around midday, sent residents and court users fleeing for safety as the heavily armed assailants stormed the court premises in what witnesses described as a brazen attempt to either kill or abduct the judge.
According to residents, the gunmen entered the courtroom while shooting indiscriminately and repeatedly asked where Judge Mohammed Muktar was.
However, the judge reportedly spotted the approaching attackers from a distance and acted swiftly, escaping through a window just moments before the armed men reached the courtroom.
Daily Trust reports that a resident who witnessed the incident said the judge’s quick thinking saved his life.
“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,” the resident said.
The source added that after discovering the judge had escaped, the attackers became enraged and issued chilling threats, warning that they would kill him if he ever returned to preside over court proceedings in the community.
Another eyewitness confirmed that the assailants openly threatened the judge after failing to find him inside the courtroom.
According to the witness, the attackers vowed to hunt him down if he continued performing his judicial duties in Gwarjo.
The attack has further heightened fears among residents of Gwarjo, a community in Matazu Local Government Area that has repeatedly come under violent attacks by armed bandits in recent years.
The attempted attack on the Shari’ah court also raises fresh concerns about the safety of judicial officers and other public officials serving in rural communities plagued by persistent banditry.