Heavily armed terrorists have attacked Ibeto town in Magama Local Government Area of Niger State, abducting a prominent lawyer, Barr Isyaku Muhammed Danjuma, alongside other residents in a brazen daylight operation, Sahara Reporters has learnt.

The attack, which happened in the early hours of Wednesday, comes during Nigeria’s 65th Independence anniversary celebrations.

A family source told SaharaReporters that the gunmen stormed the community in large numbers, wielding sophisticated weapons.

“A lot of them armed with dangerous weapons and guns even bigger than what the security operatives would carry entered our town today (early morning). They were targeting prominent people to abduct. So that was how they came for Barrister Isyaku Muhammed Danjuma. He is currently with them. They have taken him away into the bush. These bandits operated openly for hours without any police or army to rescue them,” the source said.

Checks by SaharaReporters revealed that Barrister Isyaku himself had posted about the terrorists’ invasion on his Facebook page shortly before his abduction.

He wrote: “Independence Day but bandits are here in Ibeto running riot.”

Moments later, his fears came true.

The abduction was also confirmed by his associate, Mohd Gbedako Ndatsu, who reacted under the lawyer’s Facebook post.

“Please when you come across this post, pray for him because I just received a devastating news now that the poster has been kidnapped,” Ndatsu wrote.

In a related development, SaharaReporters last Friday reported that Barrister Onyesom Peace Udoka, a newly called to bar lawyer, was also kidnapped alongside her sister while returning home from her Call to Bar ceremony.

They were later freed after spending several days with their captors.