Kidnapped Nigerian judge freed, police say

Kidnappings are routinely used by criminal groups in Nigeria -- including jihadists and non-ideological gangs known as "bandits" -- to secure lucrative ransom payments from either the government or victims' families.

Faruku Hassan Bunza, a High Court judge in Kebbi state, was abducted from his home in Bunza town on July 26.

A month earlier, gunmen kidnapped retired army major general Rabe Abubakar and his wife in nearby Katsina state. Abubakar died in captivity.

The exact details of Bunza's release were not immediately clear.

Bunza "was released earlier today", said Bashir Usman, a spokesman for Kebbi state police.

"Although the kidnappers made a ransom demand, the command maintains its firm stance against ransom payments," he said.

The attackers remain at large.

"Security agencies have intensified investigative efforts to track down the perpetrators and bring them to justice," the police said.

Bandit gangs, who also raid villages, steal livestock and loot and burn homes, operate across swathes of rural northwest and central Nigeria where state presence is weak.

In June, an influential traditional ruler in Argungu, a city in Kebbi renowned for its international fishing festival, urged residents to pool funds to buy weapons to defend themselves against the gangs.

Kebbi shares a long border with Niger, which has seen large-scale attacks blamed on jihadists this year.