Bandits have reportedly abducted no fewer than 50 elderly residents of Magamin Diddi village in Magami/Faru ward of Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State on a reconciliation mission.
It was gathered 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.
The Chairman of Maradun Local Government Area, Bello Dosara, confirmed the incident according to Daily Trust saying the victims went to meet the bandit leader without the approval or clearance of the government.
The state government, Dosara said, had always been opposed to any form of reconciliation with bandits, adding that Governor Dauda Lawal was not in support of such arrangements.
“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.
Dosara stated that the bandit kingpin had previously blocked the village’s access to the market, but added that the council had been providing weekly security cover for residents to travel to the market and return safely.
He expressed concern that the residents still opted to approach the bandit leader despite the government’s opposition to negotiations with criminal groups.
“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 council chairman confirmed that 11 of the abducted persons had been released while 39 others were still being held.
“He released some to just brief the people on the unfortunate incident,” Dosara said.
Bello Husseini, the Councillor representing Magami/Faru ward, said the bandit leader had earlier requested 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, despite 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 abducted the delegation.
Husseini said 11 members of the delegation were later released, while the other 39 remained in captivity.
He said the bandit leader 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 an earlier confrontation 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 launched a reprisal attack during the last Ramadan period, killing two Askarawa personnel and taking away 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 started 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,” he said.
“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 chose reconciliation,” Husseini added.
Officials Urge Military Action
Husseini who also said he relocated from his ward over insecurity, maintained that reconciliation with bandits would not resolve the security crisis in the area.
He and the council chairman called on the government and security agencies to carry out operations in Dajin Natsira, which they said was a major bandit enclave.
They said the area has not witnessed serious confrontation by security forces since the beginning 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 restore peace to several local government areas including Talata Mafara, Bakura, Anka, Gummi, Bukkuyum, Maru and Bungudu.
They said, “Whenever the forest is bombed, six out of the 14 local government areas in the state such as Talata Mafara, Bakura, Anka, Gummi, Bukkuyum, Maru and Bungudu will definitely 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 covers Bayan Ruwa, Kwargwaro, Aljumma Fulani, Gidan Dawa and Kyetare, although each area has its own local leader.
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