Lured To Negotiate, Taken Hostage: 39 Zamfara Elders In Bandits’ Den

The litany of abductions in the North West, especially Zamfara, has become a source of concern as bandits impose humongous levies on markets and farmlands. In this report, NICHOLAS DEKERA x-rays the circumstances surrounding the failed elders’ peace accord and the abduction of elders, which led to the death of one of the victims.
Banditry in Zamfara has evolved beyond isolated attacks into a structured system of control marked by forced taxation, abductions, and imposed agreements on vulnerable communities.
What was meant to be a peace overture by community elders instead exposed the deep risks of engaging armed groups whose promises of dialogue are often shadowed by violence. The f...