The victims were among a 50-member delegation sent by their community to meet a bandit kingpin known as Jammo, who operates from the Muntsira Forest in Maradun LGA.
Local authorities said the delegation embarked on the mission without the approval of the state government, which has consistently opposed peace deals with armed groups.
The Chairman of Maradun Local Government Area, Bello Dosara, confirmed the incident, saying the community independently pursued the dialogue despite official warnings against negotiating with bandits.
“We are against reconciliation with bandits, and Governor Dauda Lawal has never supported such initiatives. Unfortunately, the community decided to proceed on its own”
According to him, Jammo had previously restricted residents’ access to markets, forcing the local government to provide periodic security escorts to enable villagers to trade and return safely.
Dosara said 11 members of the delegation were later released, while 39 others remain in captivity.
“He released some of them to report back to the community on what happened,” the chairman said.
The councillor representing Magami/Faru Ward, Bello Husseini, said the proposed reconciliation followed a series of violent confrontations between Jammo’s group and the Zamfara Community Protection Guards, popularly known as Askarawa.
He explained that the bandit leader had recently lost some of his fighters in military operations and subsequently expressed interest in reconciliation with the community.
According to Husseini, residents agreed to the request and assembled a 50-member committee to meet him.
“On arrival, he betrayed them and took them hostage,” the councillor said.
He alleged that Jammo is demanding 24 million in exchange for three rifles reportedly seized from his group during previous clashes with local security operatives.
Husseini described the abduction as further proof that armed groups cannot be trusted.
“The people he detained are elderly men. He claimed he was tired of banditry and wanted peace, but instead he kidnapped those who came to meet him”
Both the local government chairman and the councillor called on security agencies to launch sustained operations in the Muntsira Forest, also known as Dajin Natsira, which they described as a long-standing stronghold for armed groups.
They argued that clearing the forest could significantly improve security across several local government areas, including Maru, Talata Mafara, Bakura, Anka, Gummi, Bukkuyum, and Bungudu.
The officials appealed to Governor Dauda Lawal and the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to intensify efforts to rescue the remaining hostages and restore security to affected communities.
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