The Zamfara State Government has warned residents against engaging in peace negotiations with armed bandits involved in kidnapping and other criminal activities across the state.
The government said anyone who chooses to negotiate with the bandits does so at their own risk, reiterating that it will not enter into any form of dialogue or peace deal with the criminal groups terrorising communities in the state.
The warning followed the release of about 40 elders from the Maradun area, who had reportedly travelled to meet the bandits in an attempt to negotiate peace but were instead taken hostage before later regaining their freedom.
Speaking to the BBC, the Chairman of Talata Mafara Local Government Area, Yahaya Abubakar Yari, said peace negotiations are typically conducted with groups that have taken up arms over political grievances or demands for self-determination, not with criminal gangs engaged in kidnapping and banditry.