38 Elders Still Held as Lawal Rules Out Bandit Talks
Fifty elderly residents of Magamin Diddi village in Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State remain in the grip of bandits more than two weeks after they were seized while attempting to broker peace with a notorious gang leader, even as Governor Dauda Lawal insists his administration will not negotiate with armed groups.
The elders, drawn from the Magami/Faru ward, were abducted in early June while on a voluntary mission to “dialogue” with a kingpin identified as Jammo, who controls the Muntsira Forest. The community had hoped a peace accord would let farmers return safely to their fields during the cultivation season. Instead, the bandits took the entire 50-member delegation hostage. Maradun council chairman Bello Dosara confirmed that only about a dozen of the captives have been released.
Speaking to BBC Hausa, Lawal distanced his government from the mission, describing it as illegal and unauthorised. “They did not inform the authority before embarking on such dangerous step they have taken,” he said, adding, “They are on their own.” He questioned the wisdom of the venture, asking, “Who sent them to negotiate? It certainly was not the government. We have consistently stated that we do not support negotiations with terrorists.”
The governor maintained that his stance has not shifted since he assumed office in 2023. “From the outset, my position has been clear: I will not negotiate with terrorists. That remains my position today,” he said. He argued that previous administrations that embraced reconciliation achieved nothing, insisting that talks only embolden criminals to acquire more weapons.
The standoff has sharpened a long-running debate over how to confront banditry in Nigeria’s Northwest. According to councillor Bello Husseini, Jammo sought reconciliation after losing fighters in clashes with the Zamfara Community Protection Guards, known as Askarawa, and a military operation at Kandare village. The kingpin is reportedly demanding N24 million in exchange for three rifles seized from his gang.
Zamfara sits at the centre of a crisis that has deepened nationwide. A report by geopolitical research firm SBM Intelligence found that 2,938 people were kidnapped in the Northwest between July 2024 and June 2025, over 60 per cent of reported incidents nationwide, with Zamfara recording the highest figure of 1,203 abductions. Nigeria Watch data showed that kidnapping-related fatalities rose from 425 in 2024 to 747 in 2025, while Zamfara recorded 1,426 violent deaths last year, the third-highest of any state. The same report noted that the number of states affected by rural banditry climbed from nine in 2024 to 16 in 2025.
The human cost of self-help has driven many communities to act alone. Findings show several villages now pay heavy levies to bandits for permission to farm. Residents are divided on the way forward. Large-scale farmer Garba Mohammed backed the governor, warning that the bandits “are never satisfied.” But businessman Mustafa Ibrahim urged dialogue, pointing to neighbouring Kaduna, where authorities have pursued negotiated truces. “We have seen how business activities are returning,” he said.
Lawal, for his part, claimed measurable progress, citing what he called unprecedented agricultural output in the past year. He conceded the threat had not been eliminated, adding, “I am not saying we have achieved 100 percent success, but there has been progress.” With 38 elders still held, pressure on his no-negotiation doctrine is unlikely to ease soon.