Zamfara Bandits Free 50 Abducted Elders After Reported ₦35 Million Ransom

The community elders abducted from Magamin Diddi village, Maradun LGA on June 7 regained their freedom in early July after a reported ransom payment of approximately ₦35 million — well below the ₦100 million bandit kingpin Jammo had initially demanded. Security and conflict journalists tracking the case reported that three of the abducted elders died in captivity before the release. The resolution closes out a nearly four-week ordeal that began when the group traveled into Muntsira Forest for an unauthorized peace negotiation with the bandit leader.