About 50 community elders abducted while travelling to a peace meeting with bandits in Zamfara State have regained their freedom after a reported ransom payment of about ₦35 million.
The development was disclosed on Thursday, July 2, by conflict and security journalist Bakatsine in a post on X.
According to the report, the victims, who are from the Magamin Diddi community in Maradun Local Government Area, were released after spending several weeks in captivity.
Three of the abducted elders reportedly died while in captivity.
The elders were kidnapped in early June 2026 while travelling to a peace meeting with the bandits, where they had hoped to negotiate an end to recurring attacks on their community.
Quoting local sources, Bakatsine said the bandits held the elders until a ransom of approximately ₦35 million was paid, leading to their eventual release.
Bakatsine wrote:
“UPDATE: The 50 community elders from Magamin Diddi in Maradun LGA, Zamfara State, who were abducted while on their way to a peace meeting with bandits to negotiate, have regained their freedom after a ransom of about ₦35 million was reportedly paid.
“According to a local source, three of the abducted elders died in captivity.
“The elders had travelled in early June 2026 to seek a negotiated settlement with the bandits before they were taken hostage.”
