Fear and uncertainty have gripped residents of Magamin Diddi community in Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State following the reported abduction of no fewer than 50 elderly men who embarked on a mission to negotiate access to farmlands ahead of the rainy season.
The elders were said to have visited a notorious bandit leader known as Jammo, who reportedly controls parts of the Muntsira Forest, in an effort to secure permission for farmers to return to their lands for cultivation.
However, what was intended as a peace mission reportedly ended in tragedy, as the delegation was allegedly taken hostage by the armed group.
Community sources told The Guardian that the elders had made repeated efforts to convince the bandit leader to allow residents to farm without fear of attack during the planting season.
According to the sources, the negotiations failed after Jammo allegedly rejected appeals for reconciliation and subsequently detained the visitors.
The incident has heightened anxiety across the community, where residents already face the twin challenges of insecurity and food production concerns.
Many families are said to be worried about the fate of the abducted elders, while fears are growing that the development could further disrupt farming activities in the area.
The reported abduction has also reignited debate over how best to tackle banditry in Zamfara and other parts of the North-West.
Some residents have appealed to the administration of Governor Dauda Lawal to intervene and facilitate the release of the captives.
However, the governor has reaffirmed his government’s policy against negotiating with bandits.
Speaking during an interview with BBC Hausa, Lawal said the elders neither informed nor obtained approval from the authorities before embarking on the mission.
“They did not inform the authorities before embarking on such a dangerous mission. They are on their own,” the governor said.
While condemning the incident, Lawal stressed that the state government did not authorise anyone to negotiate with criminal groups on its behalf.
“The state government did not send them to negotiate with bandits on its behalf. I heard the reports, but I do not even know who those individuals are,” he stated.
The governor said security agencies were investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident, adding that private negotiations with armed groups run contrary to the state’s security policy.
He defended the government’s refusal to engage in dialogue with bandits, arguing that previous peace agreements entered into by earlier administrations yielded little success and often allowed criminal groups to regroup and strengthen their operations.
Nevertheless, some residents contend that the absence of formal negotiations has left vulnerable rural communities with limited options, forcing some farmers to allegedly pay levies to armed groups in exchange for access to their farmlands.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the military nor the Zamfara State Police Command had issued an official statement on the reported abduction.
The latest incident underscores the persistent security challenges confronting rural communities in Zamfara, where farming activities and livelihoods continue to be threatened by bandit attacks and mass kidnappings.