No fewer than 10 villagers have regained their freedom after enduring harrowing weeks in captivity, following successful negotiations between community leaders and bandit factions under a peace initiative.
The freed villagers, both men and women, were released weeks after being abducted from the Malumfashi Local Government Area of Katsina State.
The release followed behind-the-scenes negotiations between the bandit group and a delegation led by the council chairman, Muntari Abdullahi.
According to security analyst Zagazola Makama, who disclosed the development in a post shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, the captives were freed as part of an emerging grassroots peace initiative aimed at reducing violence in the area.
“This was a negotiated release tied to a local understanding, and no ransom was paid,” Makama noted, adding that the approach reflected growing community-level efforts to manage insecurity through dialogue.
While residents welcomed the development, a local security observer raised concerns about its long-term implications.
“The critical issue is sustainability,” the analyst said. “Will this agreement hold, and what impact will it have on neighbouring communities, particularly those bordering Kano State?”
As of the time of filing this report, neither the police nor the army had issued an official statement on the release or clarified whether the peace arrangement had their formal backing.
