Zamfara bandits take 39 local elders sent to negotiate a truce with them hostage

ABOUT 39 elders of Magamin Diddi village in Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State sent to negotiate a peace deal with bandit leader popularly known as Jammo have taken hostage by the terrorists who are demanding N24m ($18,000) for their release.

Across large swathes of Zamfara State, armed hoodlums have taken over communities, levying taxes, dispensing justice as they see fit and abducting anyone who challenges their authority. Looking or a solution to the problem, the residents of Magamin Diddi village sent 50 of their elders to go and negotiate a peace deal with the terrorists.

However, it appears that the meeting was unable to resolve the crisis and 39 of the 50 negotiators were held hostage. Bello Dosara, the chairman of Maradun Local Government Area, said the community members organised the meeting without the approval of the state government.

He added that they had travelled to meet the bandit kingpin known as Jammo, who operates from the Muntsira Forest area. Mr Dosara said Zamfara State governor Dauda Lawal’s administration does not support reconciliation efforts with armed groups and was unaware of the community’s plans.

Mr 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. Jammo had earlier restricted residents’ access to local markets, prompting the council to provide weekly security escorts for villagers travelling to and from the area."

Bello Husseini, the councillor representing Magami/Faru Ward, linked the incident to recent clashes between the bandit group and Zamfara’s community security outfit, popularly known as Askarawa. He said security operatives had earlier killed two of Jammo’s lieutenants and recovered their weapons and the bandits later carried out a retaliatory attack during the Ramadan period, killing two members of the vigilante group and seizing their rifles.

According to the councillor, Jammo later sought reconciliation after one of his associates was killed during a military operation in Kandare village. Subsequently, the community constituted a 50-member committee to meet him despite the government’s position against negotiations with bandits.

Mr Husseini said Jammo betrayed the delegation upon arrival and took them hostage, releasing only 11 members. He further alleged that Jammo is demanding N24m as compensation for three rifles seized from his group during the earlier clashes.

Local officials also appealed to Governor Lawal and the minister of state for defence Bello Matawalle, to support efforts to restore security in the affected communities. Mr Husseini described Jammo as a dominant figure within the Dajin Natsira axis, an area comprising several settlements, including Bayan Ruwa, Kwargwaro, Aljumma Fulani, Gidan Dawa and Kyetare.