Thirty-seven villagers kidnapped from communities in Bakori Local Government Area of Katsina State have regained their freedom after weeks of community-led negotiations with bandits.
The lawmaker representing Bakori Constituency in the Katsina State House of Assembly, Abdulraham Kandarawa, confirmed the development on Friday, saying it brought the total number of recently released villagers to 82. He earlier announced that 45 captives had been freed under the same peace efforts.
Kandarawa said the victims were held in Sabe Local Government Area of Zamfara State and were released without ransom after sustained dialogue.
He said, “Today, through the grace of God, we have finally received our people who were held captive. Insha Allah, they are back, and none is left in their hands.”
The group includes 17 women, two infants, and 18 men.
The lawmaker explained that the bandits had agreed to free the captives once the community kept to its promise of maintaining peace.
“We want to call on all citizens to embrace peace. It is everybody’s business. If we have offended anyone, we will amend, just to live in peace,” he said, noting that the talks were based on assurances of non-violence from both sides.
Kandarawa also thanked the bandits for keeping their word, insisting no money exchanged hands.
“This is what they promised, and they fulfilled it today,” he said.
Katsina State Governor, Dikko Radda, had earlier distanced his administration from negotiating with bandits, saying the discussions were driven by the community. He, however, praised the initiative and welcomed the return of calm in the area.
