Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Fifty community elders from Magamin Diddi village in Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State have regained their freedom after spending several weeks in captivity following their abduction during a peace mission to negotiate with armed bandits. Local sources said the elders were released after a ransom of about ₦35 million was reportedly paid, while three of the abductees died before regaining their freedom.
The elders were kidnapped in early June after embarking on what community leaders described as a desperate effort to secure peace and restore access to farmlands ahead of the rainy season. The delegation travelled to meet a notorious bandit leader, widely identified as Jammo, who operates around the Muntsira Forest in Maradun Local Government Area.
According to community leaders, the primary objective of the meeting was to negotiate an end to attacks on villagers and obtain assurances that farmers could safely return to their farms during the planting season. However, the peace mission took a tragic turn when the bandit leader and his armed followers reportedly surrounded the delegation and took dozens of the elders hostage.
Initial reports varied on the number of victims. While local residents maintained that about 50 elders participated in the mission, the Zamfara State Police Command confirmed that 39 persons were abducted after 47 residents travelled to the forest for the meeting. Local government officials also acknowledged that some members of the delegation were released shortly after the incident to relay information to the community, while dozens remained in captivity.
The Chairman of Maradun Local Government Area, Bello Dosara, had criticised the community's decision to negotiate with the bandits without notifying government authorities. He stressed that the administration of Governor Dauda Lawal has consistently opposed reconciliation or negotiations with criminal groups, arguing that previous peace agreements had failed to produce lasting security.
Governor Dauda Lawal also distanced his administration from the mission, stating that neither the state government nor security agencies authorised the elders' visit to the bandits' hideout. He maintained that Zamfara State remains committed to military and security operations against armed groups rather than dialogue with them.
Following the abduction, security agencies, including the Zamfara State Police Command, launched rescue operations and deployed intelligence assets to locate the victims. Despite those efforts, negotiations reportedly continued through community intermediaries as families desperately sought the release of their loved ones.
Local sources now say the surviving elders have regained their freedom after about ₦35 million was reportedly paid as ransom. Although security authorities have not officially confirmed the payment, residents said the release ended weeks of anxiety for families and the wider Magamin Diddi community. Community members also disclosed that three of the abducted elders died while in captivity, though the exact circumstances surrounding their deaths have not been officially disclosed.
The incident has renewed concerns over the worsening security situation across Zamfara State, where many rural communities remain trapped between violent attacks by armed groups and official government opposition to negotiating with bandits. In several parts of the state, residents have struggled to access their farms, markets and places of worship because of repeated attacks, illegal levies imposed by criminal gangs and widespread fear of abduction.
Security analysts say the tragedy illustrates the difficult choices confronting rural communities as they attempt to balance survival with security. While governments continue to reject negotiations with criminal groups, some isolated communities have resorted to informal dialogue in the hope of securing temporary peace and preserving their livelihoods.
The latest development has also reignited calls for stronger security operations and more effective protection for vulnerable rural communities across Nigeria's North-West, where banditry, kidnappings and attacks on farming communities continue to threaten lives, food production and economic stability.
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