Fifty community elders abducted by armed bandits in Zamfara State have reportedly regained their freedom after an alleged ransom payment of approximately ₦35 million.
The development was disclosed on Thursday by conflict and security journalist Bakatsine in a post shared on his official 𝕏 account.
According to the report, the victims are elders from Magamin Diddi community in Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
They were said to have spent several weeks in captivity before securing their release.
Quoting local sources, Bakatsine also reported that three of the abducted elders died while in captivity.
The victims were reportedly kidnapped in early June 2026 while travelling to a peace meeting with the bandits in an effort to negotiate an end to persistent attacks on their community.
Providing an update on the incident, Bakatsine stated:
“The 50 community elders from Magamin Diddi in Maradun LGA, Zamfara State, who were abducted while on a peace meeting with bandits to negotiate, have regained their freedom after a ransom of about ₦35 million was reportedly paid.
“According to local sources, three of the abducted elders died in captivity.”
The report further indicated that the elders had embarked on the peace mission in pursuit of a negotiated settlement before they were allegedly taken hostage by the armed group.
As of the time of filing this report, the Zamfara State Government and security agencies had not issued any official statement confirming the reported release, the alleged payment of ransom or the reported deaths of three of the community leaders.
The incident underscores the continuing security challenges facing communities in parts of northwestern Nigeria, where cases of kidnapping for ransom and armed attacks remain a major concern.
