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50 Abducted Zamfara Elders Freed After Alleged ₦35m Ransom Payment
Fifty community elders who were abducted by bandits in Zamfara State have reportedly regained their freedom after an alleged ransom of about ₦35 million was paid.
The development was disclosed on Thursday by conflict and security analyst Bakatsine in a post on X, citing local sources.
According to the report, the elders, all from Magamin Diddi community in Maradun Local Government Area, spent several weeks in captivity before they were released.
Local sources also claimed that three of the abducted elders died while in captivity.
The victims were reportedly kidnapped in early June while travelling to a peace meeting with the bandits in an effort to negotiate an end to repeated attacks on their community.
Providing an update, Bakatsine stated that the elders were released after the reported payment of approximately ₦35 million in ransom.
He further noted that the delegation had embarked on the peace mission in early June 2026 in search of a negotiated settlement with the armed group before they were taken hostage.
As of the time of filing this report, the Zamfara State Government and security agencies had not issued any official statement confirming the release, the reported ransom payment, or the deaths of the three community leaders.
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