Lawal Rejects Dialogue With Bandits As 50 Zamfara Elders Remain Captive

By: Abudu Olalekan

Still, people respond in different ways to the taking of fifty older villagers from Magamin Diddi in Zamfara’s Maradun area. This happened weeks ago when they supposedly traveled toward a bandit hideout aiming for calm. Their goal was talk, not conflict – yet they vanished along the way. Some now question whether such efforts can ever bring safety. Others hold fast to dialogue despite the outcome. News of their absence lingers without clear answers.

Out near the edge of things, older men left in early June – this came from Reportersroom – to find Jammo, a fighter others say runs the Muntsira Forest. Not long ago, their aim seemed clear enough: speak with those armed groups, ask for calm without force, yet still reach fields when planting time arrived.

Things turned out differently than expected.

Instead of agreeing to peace, the group took every one of the 50 delegates hostage – held without release ever since.

Outrage spread fast through Zamfara after what happened. Fear tagged along, quiet but heavy in the air. People started talking – loud, restless talk. Why would village leaders act so boldly with no support from higher up? That question circled again and again. Some turned their eyes toward the state, pointing fingers firmly. They say officials sat back too long, did too little to bring them home safe.

Still, Governor Dauda Lawal spoke plainly. On their own, he stated, the elders moved.

Out of nowhere, Lawal called the operation unlawful during a chat with BBC Hausa. He made clear his government wasn’t involved – never gave approval at any point. Though some assumed backing, he shut that down fast.

“They did not inform the authorities before taking such a dangerous step,” the governor said. “They are on their own.”

Outrage marked Lawal’s response to the attacks, yet he made clear his administration played no part in local talks pursued by elders from Maradun. Those discussions aimed at reaching armed factions active across the region.

He says Zamfara still refuses talks with terrorists, just like before. That stance hasn’t shifted one bit.

“Who sent them to negotiate?” he asked. “It certainly was not the government. We have consistently stated that we do not support negotiations with terrorists. I heard the reports, but I do not even know who those individuals are.”

Wrong, he called it, for anyone to start talking with bandits – especially since the government already said no. The governor mentioned his team was looking into things, though.

Still, Lawal insists talking to armed groups just makes them bolder. Past efforts at peace in Zamfara went nowhere, he claims. What changed then? Not much, according to him.

He sees these deals as opening space for outlaws to reorganize, gather cash, pick up new guns – then keep striking. Not stopping. Just shifting gears under cover.

Speaking up at various public events, the governor stressed that giving money to armed gangs won’t stop banditry. Facing them down until they give up – that’s what he sees as necessary.

Some folks see it differently.

Heavy price tags often follow tough stances, some locals point out. Attacks on villages still happen, even as homes burn and people vanish without trace. Killings do not stop, nor do abductions ease up. With silence spreading through fear, certain groups feel pushed toward secret deals with armed outsiders instead.

Fear has driven people away from their homes, Usman Alkali from Gusau explained. Villages once full of life now sit empty. With each passing week, danger grows stronger there. He pointed out how peace seems lost in those areas. Quiet roads tell the story of lives left behind. Trouble keeps spreading, making survival harder every day.

“As a result of Governor Lawal’s stance, hundreds of villages have been sacked in the state, while farming activities have been grounded,” he said. “The bandits are bent on pressuring the government to negotiate with them.”

Some villages, worn down by constant raids and abductions, began talking directly to armed groups – bypassing officials entirely. These talks happen quietly, away from public view, driven by desperation rather than strategy. Local leaders took matters into their own hands after losing faith in distant promises. Each meeting unfolds behind closed doors, no records kept. Fear pushed people toward choices once seen as unthinkable. With no help arriving, families reached out to those they feared most. Trust in authority had already frayed long before the first secret deal.

Farmers in certain areas must hand over large sums to armed groups just to reach their fields.

Yet he stands firm, Lawal unchanged in his stance.

“From the outset, my position has been clear: I will not negotiate with terrorists,” he said. “That remains my position today. I do not see why anyone would take it upon themselves to negotiate with criminals. That is not my policy, nor will it ever be.”

Even so, progress shows under the governor’s watch – he stands by his plan even while noting challenges remain unsolved.

“I am not saying we have achieved 100 percent success, but there has been progress,” he said. “As governor, my responsibility is to protect lives and property.”

Besides the uptick in farm yields, safety across the region has shown noticeable gains, according to Lawal.

“If you look at agricultural production in Zamfara last year, it was unprecedented in recent times, and that was made possible by the relative improvement in security,” he said.

It would take time, he said – no truthful leader can erase terrorism in one night. His 2023 run never claimed otherwise.

“Terrorism is not unique to Zamfara; it is a challenge in many places,” he said. “But speaking specifically about Zamfara, I can assure you that the measures we have taken have significantly reduced attacks.”

Pushed by stronger army actions, gangs started shifting – some headed toward spots they saw as easier to hit. Lawal pointed out how security moves tightened the squeeze.

“At the same time, some attacks will still occur because we have intensified pressure on these criminals. They move to areas they believe are vulnerable,” he added.

Some folks agree, others just don’t. Different minds in different towns.

It strikes some people as correct when the governor refuses to talk. Yet others argue killing and abductions have dragged out so far that speaking up – no matter how hard it feels – might actually slow things down.

Farming on a big scale once defined Alhaji Garba Mohammed’s life – until violence drove him away. Years passed without return, his fields left behind. Now, with firm agreement, he stands beside the governor’s stance. Bandits had shaped that silence. His voice joins now, echoing support born from loss.

He believed talks with outlaws were pointless since honesty wasn’t something they carried. Listening to them was a move the governor ought to skip. No amount of offers from authorities ever filled their hunger for more.

“We have seen what happened in the past. They only want money from government so they can keep buying arms and continue attacking people.”

A business owner from the area, Alhaji Mustafa Ibrahim, saw things differently. Should talking lead to calm, he urged the governor to give it a try.

Peace has got to come back here, he stated. The government needs to talk with those people, or nothing will change. These horrors have gone on too long.

“The Kaduna State government negotiated with bandits, and we have started seeing the result. Business activities are returning because of the peace accord. That is what we want Governor Dauda Lawal to do in Zamfara.”