Ransom-for-Peace Deal Crumbles as Terrorists Strike Zamfara Community

Peace has collapsed in Adabka. But it was not always so. For three uninterrupted years, the town enjoyed calm after the community reached a ransom-for-peace agreement with terrorists in the area. The short-lived peace, according to Sani Dahiru, a former legislator representing Bukkuyum South in the Zamfara State House of Assembly, came at the price of ₦20 million, money crowdsourced by residents and indigenes in December 2022. 

Such ransom-for-peace agreements are common across northwestern Nigeria, but they rarely usher in lasting safety. In some situations, attacks continue despite payments, and in others, things take a different turn. For example, in October 2024, after terrorists collected a ₦10 million protection levy from seven communities in Zamfara, they later declared the deal “expired” and resumed raids.

Adabka, located in Bukkuyum Local Government Area, Zamfara State, in the North West, is surrounded by 187 villages and settlements that have lived under the shadow of relentless terrorist attacks, despite the presence of government security forces in some parts of the area. 

Sani explained that the roots of insecurity in the town can be traced to illegal mining activities that began as far back as 1995. The area started to experience a major onslaught between 2003 and 2006 when foreign smugglers, the former lawmaker told HumAngle, trafficked gold, ores, and precious stones through the Fasagora forest belt, which connects the Kuyanbana area of Dansadau Emirate in Zamfara with Birnin Gwari forests in Kaduna State. Alongside this trade, arms were smuggled in, laying the foundation for organised violence.

“With the passage of time, we understood that armed banditry became prevalent […], between 2016 and 2017, in our areas. Matters worsened in 2020,” Sani told HumAngle, adding that the continued attacks led the community to enter negotiations with the terrorists, with the eventual payment for a peace agreement. 

The fragile agreement was breached on Thursday, Aug. 7, when terrorists from Fasagora forest invaded the community’s farming areas in broad daylight. At about 10 a.m., they abducted 11 farmers, including a mobile police officer, and initially demanded ₦50 million to be paid within four hours. But since the community was already familiar with the Kachalla Falando-led armed group, they were able to negotiate the demand down to ₦11 million.

Among those taken were Shafiu Sani Baki, Abdulrazak Gado Ango, Maniru Gagara, Yusuf Subuka Fasagora, Shehu Bature, and Tukur Muhammad.  

After the terrorists threatened to kill the abductees in Adabka if their demands were not met within the timeline, the relatives of the kidnapped victims and other community members pooled together ₦11 million in cash. 

Muhammadu Garba, 54, elder brother to one of the victims, Yusuf Subuka, told HumAngle: “We […] set out to hand-deliver the money in exchange for our loved ones.”

The plan, however, took a different turn after the District Head, Nafiu Shehu, informed security operatives of the situation. “We reported to security people. Though they delayed in arriving at the scene, they eventually responded and were mobilised for a collaborative operation with the two mobile police officers and six Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF),” the monarch told HumAngle.   

Acting on a distress report, joint security forces mobilised for a rescue mission on Friday evening, Aug. 8, and agreed to escort the emissary carrying the ransom. But as they advanced towards Fasagora forest, where the captives were being held, the operation turned deadly when the terrorists ambushed them at an intersection between Fasagora and Gando forests. 

“The ambush led to the killing of six CJTF officers, two mobile police officers, and eight kidnapped victims,” said Badamasi Labbaika, 29, a resident. HumAngle confirmed these figures with the District Head. 

For 33-year-old Jamila Sani, a mother of seven, the attack was devastating. Her husband was among those killed. 

“I am deeply shattered by the news of the gunshots fired at my husband […] Sleep and rest deserted me and my children. We are in fear and plunged into total despair. With the killing of my husband, I do not know where to go or what to do,” she lamented. 

Jamila and other residents who spoke to HumAngle said the terrorists have refused to release the corpses of those killed in the ambush for burial rites. “We are really disappointed in our government at all levels for their inability to reclaim the remains of our loved ones,” said Badamasi. 

Meanwhile, the officer who was earlier abducted returned to his unit three days later after escaping captivity.    

Following the attack, there are unconfirmed reports within the community that the remaining Mobile Police officers are planning to withdraw out of fear. Residents have since staged a protest against their departure.

“We have been in this situation for almost six years with just the nine mobile police officers. Now, two of them are dead, leaving behind only seven. These are not enough not to talk of withdrawing them at all,” Saminu Garba, a resident, lamented.

However, the local government authority later confirmed to the locals that the operatives will not be withdrawn. On Tuesday morning, Aug. 19, sources in the community confirmed to HumAngle that the officers are still within the town.

For many in Adabka, this assurance offers little comfort. The recent abduction and ambush have reinforced fears that peace cannot be bought, and with trust eroding on all sides, uncertainty now defines daily life in the community.

“The government has failed to secure our communities,” Sani, the former lawmaker, added.