Bandits have detained elders from a village in Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State after they attempted to negotiate a reconciliation due to the insecurity plaguing the area.
The incident occurred in a village called Magamin Diddi, which reports say is located near one of the forests where the bandits have a stronghold.
In an interview with the BBC, the Chairman of Maradun Local Government Area, Sunusi Ahmed Dosara, said: "For the past three months, bandits have denied them [the village] peace. Amid this, the bandits deceived them, saying they should come for a reconciliation so that they would leave them alone and allow them to continue trading."
"So the elders went to the forest to meet with the bandits, but when they arrived, the bandits detained them. They later released some of them and said they would not free the rest unless certain conditions were met."
The local government chairman stated that according to their estimates, the bandits detained "39 people."
He added that all those being held are "elderly men."
"This is an area where these bandits have long operated with impunity," the Maradun Local Government Chairman said.
He said the forest, known as Bayan Ruwa, is where bandits emerge from to ambush travelers on the road from Zamfara to Sokoto and Koko, kidnapping people.
"This forest is their hideout. Any bandit who is chased away, if they enter this forest, it's as if they have survived."
Zamfara is among the northwestern Nigerian states that have long suffered from the activities of deadly bandits who kidnap people for ransom. The bandits' actions have crippled economic activities in the region, particularly farming, which most residents depend on.