No fewer than 50 elderly residents of the Magamin Diddi community in the Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State have reportedly been abducted by suspected bandits after visiting a notorious bandit leader to seek access to their farmlands ahead of the farming season.

Sources in the community told The Guardian that the elders had approached the bandit leader, popularly known as Jammo, who is said to control parts of the Muntsira Forest, to negotiate safe access to their farms.

According to the sources, the delegation had made several attempts to persuade the bandit leader to allow residents to cultivate their farmlands during the rainy season, but the efforts reportedly ended with the elders being held hostage.

The sources claimed that the bandit leader rejected their plea for reconciliation and has continued to keep the delegation in captivity.
The development has heightened anxiety in the community, with residents expressing concern over the worsening security situation in the area.

Some residents were said to have appealed to Governor Dauda Lawal to intervene. However, the governor has maintained his administration’s policy of not negotiating with bandits.

Reacting to the incident in an interview with BBC Hausa, Lawal said the state government neither authorised nor was informed of the elders’ 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 abduction, Lawal reiterated that his administration has never supported negotiations with bandits and has no intention of changing that policy.
“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 said.

The governor added that the government was investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident, stressing that it was inappropriate for individuals to negotiate with criminal groups contrary to the state’s security policy.
Lawal also defended his administration’s stance against dialogue with bandits, arguing that previous peace agreements entered into by past governments failed to curb insecurity.

According to him, earlier peace initiatives merely enabled criminal groups to regroup and acquire more weapons rather than abandon their activities.

Some residents, however, believe the government’s refusal to negotiate with bandits has contributed to a situation in which some rural communities allegedly pay levies to armed groups 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.