At least 39 elderly residents of Magamin Diddi village in Zamfara State remain in captivity after a bandit leader allegedly abducted members of a community delegation that had gone to discuss peace terms with him.
The incident occurred in Magami/Faru ward of Maradun Local Government Area, where residents reportedly organized a reconciliation meeting with a notorious bandit kingpin known as Jammo, who is believed to operate from the Muntsira Forest.
Authorities disclosed that about 50 community representatives, mostly elderly men, travelled to meet the bandit leader following reports that he had expressed interest in ending hostilities. However, the peace initiative ended in tragedy when the delegation was allegedly seized by the armed group.
Chairman of Maradun Local Government Area, Bello Dosara, confirmed the incident and stressed that the meeting was conducted without government approval.
“We are against reconciliation with the bandits and Governor Dauda Lawal never supported that, but unknown to us the people chose to go on with it,” Dosara said.
He noted that the council had previously assisted residents by providing security escorts to enable safe access to local markets after bandits blocked major routes in the area.
“I wonder why, how they go and meet their rivals. They block access to the market and I support them with security every week,” he added.
According to Dosara, 11 members of the delegation have since been released, while 39 others remain in captivity.
“He released some to just brief the people on the unfortunate incident,” the council chairman explained.
The councillor representing Magami/Faru ward, Bello Husseini, said the peace initiative was reportedly triggered by Jammo after one of his associates was killed during a recent military operation in Kandare village.
Despite the Zamfara State Government’s opposition to negotiations with armed groups, members of the affected communities reportedly agreed to meet the bandit leader.
Husseini said the community assembled a 50-member committee for the talks, but the bandit leader allegedly betrayed their trust.
“Eleven members of the delegation were later released, while the remaining 39 are still being held,” he said.
According to the councillor, the bandit leader is demanding ₦24 million, claiming it represents compensation for three rifles allegedly seized from his fighters during previous clashes.
Husseini explained that security operatives from the state-backed Askarawa outfit had earlier killed two of Jammo’s associates and recovered their weapons. He added that the bandits later launched a retaliatory attack during Ramadan, killing two members of the security outfit and taking away their rifles.
“You see we are one to one, they killed two of us and took away their rifles and we also killed them and possessed their firearms initially,” he said.
The councillor maintained that the community had always been sceptical about negotiations with bandits and warned that the latest incident had reinforced those fears.
“We are against any form of reconciliation because we know they are not trustworthy, they can speak one true statement against a hundred lies,” Husseini stated.
“The people he held hostage were elderly and he had no reason to hold them hostage; he betrayed them by saying he is tired of banditry and opted for reconciliation,” he added.
Both Dosara and Husseini called on security agencies to launch decisive operations in Dajin Natsira, which they described as a major stronghold for armed groups operating across several parts of Zamfara State.
According to them, the forest enclave has remained largely untouched despite years of bandit activity.
“They have never been attacked by any security forces and we are optimistic that if the government wants to help these people, one patrol five kilometres away from the village will yield a very good positive result,” they said.
The officials argued that sustained military action in the area could significantly improve security across several local government areas, including Maradun, Talata Mafara, Bakura, Anka, Gummi, Bukkuyum, Maru and Bungudu.
They appealed to Governor Dauda Lawal and Bello Matawalle to urgently intervene and secure the release of the remaining captives.
Husseini, who revealed that he had relocated from his constituency because of insecurity, insisted that military action rather than reconciliation remains the most effective solution to the security crisis in the region.
