Gunmen Kill Zamfara Lawyer After Failed Abduction

A lawyer, Benedict Azza, was shot and killed by unidentified gunmen on motorcycle in Gusau town, the headquarters of Zamfara State, despite ban on riding motorcycles.

Azza, who was a principal partner of the BT Azza & Co Chambers based in Gusau, was shot dead while returning to his residence around 8:00pm on Thursday.

The state chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Junaidu Abubakar, confirmed the incident in a statement issued to newsmen on Friday.

The statement partly read: “This is to confirm to you that our colleague and friend, Benedict Torngee Azza Esq, is dead.

“B.T. Azza died yesterday Thursday 18th day of August, 2022 at about 2200 – 2230hrs.

“While I was in my house, I received three different phone calls from our colleagues informing me that B.T. Azza Esq was shot dead by gunmen and his body was lying on the roadside along By-pass near FRSC office, Gusau.

“Immediately after receiving the information, I rushed to the scene where I met our colleagues, Abdullahi Ibrahim Esq. and Ibrahim Gusau Esq. with a large number of security personnel (police and soldiers).

“I saw B.T. Azza’s dead body lying in cold blood on the shoulders of the road.

“I also saw his vehicle (Lexus Jeep) by the road side.

“While we were there, the FRSC’s personnel came to the scene with a body bag in which the dead body was deposited and taken by the police to Yariman Bakura Specialists Hospital, Gusau, where his dead body was deposited in the mortuary.

“According to the information, B.T. Azza was shot dead by 2 gunmen suspected to be kidnappers who came on a motorcycle.

“Information has it that the gunmen wanted to kidnap him at his house situated at Saminaka Area, Behind Federal Road Safety Corps Headquarters, By-pass, Gusau, but he was able to escape, drove his vehicle and ran to the road side.

“The gunmen pursued him and shot him dead.

Meanwhile, residents of the area said they heard gunshots, and after a while, they also heard a loud sound of a vehicle accident.

As they came out and rushed to the scene, they saw the deceased bleeding as a result of gunshots in his leg.

The source added, “The deceased opened his vehicle’s door, came out and walked with his legs to the main road where he sat down and he started bleeding then later died.

“He was shot three times by the gunmen and after the shooting, they ran away when they saw people coming to the scene.”

The spokesperson for the state police command, SP Mohammed Shehu, confirmed the incident, stressing that, “The police command has since drafted its personnel to pursue the culprits with a view to getting them arrested.”