Zamfara: 50 Kidnapped by Bandits During Peace Negotiations

No fewer than 50 elderly residents of Magamin Diddi village in Magami/Faru ward of Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State have reportedly been abducted by bandits on a reconciliation mission.

It was learnt that the victims were whisked away by a bandit kingpin named Jammo who is said to have control of Muntsira Forest in Maradun Local Government Area.

Chairman of Maradun Local Government Area, Bello Dosara has confirmed the incident to Daily Trust saying the victims went to meet the bandit leader without the approval or clearance of the government.

“The state government has always been opposed to any form of reconciliation with bandits. Governor Dauda Lawal is not in support of such arrangements,” Dosara said.

“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.

The bandit kingpin had earlier cut off the village’s access to the market, but the council had been providing weekly security cover for residents to go to the market and return safely, Dosara said.

He said he was concerned that despite the government’s opposition to negotiating with criminal groups, the residents still chose to deal with the bandit leader.

“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 said.

The chairman of the council said 11 of the abducted persons had been released, while 39 others were still being held.

“He let some go just to brief the people about the unfortunate incident,” Dosara said.

The Councillor representing Magami/Faru ward, Bello Husseini said the bandit leader had earlier requested for reconciliation after one of his men was killed during a recent military operation at Kandare village.

He said the request was accepted by members of the affected communities themselves, contrary to the state government’s policy of no negotiation with bandits.

He said the communities sent a delegation of 50 men to meet the bandit leader but Jammo allegedly betrayed them and kidnapped the delegation.

Husseini said 11 members of the delegation were later freed, while the other 39 remained in captivity.

The bandit leader, he said, was also demanding ₦24m for the release of three rifles, which the bandits were said to have carted away during previous confrontations.

Husseini said that Jammo and his men had a previous encounter with the Zamfara State security outfit, Askarawa, in which two of the bandit leader’s men were killed and their rifles seized.

The bandits later carried out a reprisal attack in the last Ramadan period, killing two Askarawa personnel and making away with their rifles, he said.

“We are one to one, you see, they killed two of us and took their rifles and we also killed them and took possession of their firearms in the beginning,” Husseini said.

The latest reconciliation move was initiated by the bandit leader himself. “He said he was tired of banditry and wanted peace,” said the councillor.

“We are against any kind of reconciliation, because we know they are not trustworthy; they can tell one true thing against a hundred lies.”

The people he held hostage were old and he had no reason to hold them hostage; he betrayed them by saying he is tired of banditry and opted for reconciliation,” Husseini added.

Officials Call for Military Action
Husseini who also said he moved out of his ward due to insecurity maintained that reconciliation with bandits would not solve the security problem in the area.

He and the council chairman called on the government and security agencies to conduct operations in Dajin Natsira, which they described as a major bandit enclave.

They said the region has not experienced serious confrontation by security forces since the start of banditry in Zamfara State.

“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 give a very good positive result,” they said.

They said security operations in the forest would bring peace to several local government areas including Talata Mafara, Bakura, Anka, Gummi, Bukkuyum, Maru and Bungudu.

They said: “When the forest is bombed, six of the 14 local government areas in the state like Talata Mafara, Bakura, Anka, Gummi, Bukkuyum, Maru and Bungudu will surely be peaceful.”

The officials called on Governor Dauda Lawal and the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to urgently intervene and rescue the remaining victims.

Jammo was the overall leader of Dajin Nritra, which Husseini said covered Bayan Ruwa, Kwargwaro, Aljumma Fulani, Gidan Dawa and Kyetare, although each area had its own local leader.