ABUJA: What began as a hopeful meeting to discuss peace turned into a harrowing ordeal for villagers near Magamin Diddi in Zamfara State, northwest Nigeria.
On Sunday, about 39 villagers gathered in a forest clearing to meet relatives of a bandit leader, seeking relief from restrictions that have severely limited their movement and farming.
Instead of dialogue, armed bandits surrounded the group and forcibly took dozens hostage.
“We thought they wanted peace, but they wanted hostages,” said Bashar Aliyu, a resident of Magamin Diddi, expressing the shock and fear that gripped the community.
Some captives were later released to deliver ransom demands totalling 125 million naira (approximately $91,880) to the villagers. Security forces have since deployed personnel and intelligence assets to track and rescue the abductees.
Zamfara has long been plagued by insecurity, where mass kidnappings and raids have disrupted farming and displaced thousands. Despite government warnings, some communities continue to negotiate directly with armed groups in hopes of peace.
For the people of Magamin Diddi, the incident underscores the fragile and dangerous reality they face daily in their fight to live and work freely.
