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 while on a reconciliation mission.
It was learnt that the victims were whisked away by a bandit kingpin identified as 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, Dosara said, had constantly opposed any form of reconciliation with bandits, and 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 said the bandit kingpin had earlier blocked the village’s access to the market but noted that the council had been providing weekly security cover for residents to travel to the market and return safely.
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 abducted persons had been freed, and 39 others were still 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 members of the affected communities accepted the request on their own, despite the state government’s policy against negotiation with bandits.
He said the communities sent a 50-man committee to meet the bandit leader but Jammo allegedly betrayed them and abducted the delegation.
Husseini said 11 members of the delegation were later freed, while the other 39 were still in captivity.
He added that the leader of the bandits was demanding ₦24m for the release of three rifles, which the bandits allegedly took away during previous confrontations.
Husseini said that Jammo and his men had a previous altercation with the Zamfara State security outfit, Askarawa, where two of the bandit leader’s associates were killed and their rifles taken.
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 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 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 equally said he had moved from his ward due to insecurity, insisted that reconciliation with bandits would not solve the security crisis in the area.
He and the council chairman urged the government and security agencies to launch 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 restore peace to several local government areas, including Talata Mafara, Bakura, Anka, Gummi, Bukkuyum, Maru and Bungudu.
“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,” they said.
The officials called on Governor Dauda Lawal and the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to urgently intervene and rescue the remaining victims.
Husseini said Jammo was the overall leader of Dajin Nritra, which he said covers Bayan Ruwa, Kwargwaro, Aljumma Fulani, Gidan Dawa and Kyetare, although each area has its own local leader.
