50 Elders Walked Into Zamfara Forest Hoping for Peace. They Ended Up Hostages.
It was early morning in Magamin Diddi.
Fifty elderly men left their homes carrying walking sticks and hope. They weren’t heading to their farms. They weren’t going to the market either.
They were walking straight into Muntsira Forest to meet a man many feared, but they believed could finally choose peace.
For months, life in Magami/Faru ward had been strangled by insecurity. Roads to the market were blocked. Farmers could barely reach their lands. Families struggled to put food on the table. So when notorious bandit leader Jammo reportedly sent word that he wanted reconciliation, many villagers saw a rare opportunity.
Maybe the violence was finally ending. Despite repeated warnings from authorities and a standing government policy against negotiating with bandits, the elders decided to go.
Maradun Local Government Chairman, Bello Dosara, later expressed disappointment over the decision. “We are against reconciliation with bandits,” he said. “But unknown to us, the people chose to proceed.”
Every week, security personnel were deployed to escort residents safely to and from the market. Yet, on that day, the elders chose to walk nearly five kilometres into territory controlled by the very man they hoped to reconcile with.
They never saw the betrayal coming.
Peace Meeting Turns Into Kidnapping
Instead of dialogue, Jammo welcomed them with armed men. The delegation arrived expecting discussions. What they got was captivity. The elders—fathers, grandfathers, respected community figures—were immediately detained. According to Councilor Bello Husseini, Jammo’s claim that he was tired of violence was nothing more than a trap.
“He said he wanted peace,” Husseini recalled. “But it was all a lie.” Within moments, the men who had come seeking peace became hostages.
A Conflict Already Written in Blood
The tensions did not start overnight. For months, clashes between Jammo’s gang and the Zamfara security outfit known as Askarawa had left casualties on both sides. Two of Jammo’s lieutenants were reportedly killed and their rifles seized. During Ramadan, his fighters allegedly retaliated, killing two Askarawa members and recovering weapons.
The cycle of revenge continued. The situation worsened after a military operation in Kandare village reportedly killed one of Jammo’s fighters. Shortly afterward came his request for reconciliation.
Many now believe the invitation was never genuine.
₦24 Million Demand
Later that day, Jammo released 11 of the elders. The reason, according to community leaders, was simple: he wanted them to carry a message back home. The remaining 39 elders would stay in captivity. Their freedom, he reportedly said, would cost ₦24 million—money linked to the recovery of three rifles allegedly taken from his group.
Community leaders condemned the demand. “These are elderly men,” Husseini said. “There was absolutely no justification for holding them.”
Calls for Action Grow Louder
The incident has reignited calls for stronger security operations in Muntsira Forest, an area many residents describe as a long-standing safe haven for armed groups. Dosara argued that a decisive security operation in the forest could significantly weaken criminal networks operating across the region.
Husseini echoed that sentiment, insisting that several local government areas could benefit from lasting peace if the forest were cleared of bandit camps. Ironically, Husseini himself has already left Magami/Faru because of the insecurity. “I had to relocate,” he said, despite consistently opposing negotiations with bandits.
Waiting for the 39
As of now, 39 elders remain in captivity. Families wait anxiously for news. Community leaders continue appealing to both Governor Dauda Lawal and Minister of Defence Bello Matawalle for urgent intervention.
What began as a journey toward peace has become another painful chapter in Zamfara’s long struggle with banditry. And for many residents, the lesson is a hard one: Sometimes, in places where violence has become routine, the road to peace can be the most dangerous path of all.
