Terrorism: The abduction of peace-making elders in Zamfara

THE tragic abduction of scores of peace-making elders from Magamin Diddi village in Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State is another unpleasant reminder of the fact that when the state abdicates its primary responsibility, desperate citizens often venture into perilous alternatives. The elders reportedly entered Muntsira forest to negotiate peace with a notorious bandit leader, Jammo, only to find themselves betrayed by the very outlaws they sought to pacify. Instead of a reconciliation meeting, they were abducted. This is a painful metaphor for the crisis confronting Nigeria: a nation where the search for peace increasingly leads through the territory of terror. What an oddity! The philosopher, Thomas Hobbes, famously wrote in the Leviathan (1651) that the first duty of a sovereign state is “the safety of the people.” Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) echoes this timeless principle by declaring that “the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.” Yet, the spectacle of citizens negotiating directly with armed criminals is an unfortunate allusion to the widening gap between constitutional promise and lived reality in Nigeria.

The recourse to peacemaking with terrorists did not emerge in a vacuum. It arose from prolonged insecurity and the perception that the Nigerian State had been unable to guarantee the protection of ordinary citizens. In many parts of Zamfara, farmers reportedly pay levies before cultivating their lands, and they hand out additional tributes before harvesting their crops. Villages live under the shadow of heavily armed bandits who issue threats through recorded videos and dictate terms to frightened communities. Such conditions represent not merely a security challenge but an assault on the sovereignty of the Nigerian State. The Zamfara incident points to the fact that the terrorists have absolutely no interest in genuine peace. Their decision to abduct the negotiators and reportedly demand about ₦125 million as ransom exposes the bankruptcy of any expectation that criminal enterprises driven by violence and extortion can be persuaded through goodwill alone. As the Roman writer Vegetius observed in De Re Militari, ”If you want peace, prepare for war.” Dialogue has its place in resolving political disputes, but organised terrorism sustained by kidnapping for profit cannot be resolved through peaceful, armless negotiations. Terrorism should not become an alternative system of governance. The federal and Zamfara State governments must therefore assert the full authority of the Nigerian State. Force, lawfully exercised, remains the legitimate instrument by which a constitutional government protects its citizens against those who wage war against the society. Terrorists must be made to understand that the monopoly of legitimate force belongs to the State, not to criminal gangs operating from forests.

This tragedy provokes some troubling questions. Why did respected elders embark on such a dangerous mission without obtaining formal clearance from the relevant security authorities? If they intended to negotiate on behalf of their communities, should they not have carried the government along? While eternal vigilance remains the price of liberty, as averred by Thomas Jefferson, prudence equally demands coordination with constituted authority, especially in matters involving notorious criminals. Equally traumatic is the stance of Zamfara State that the elders were to fend for themselves, entirely on their own in their agonising situation.

Such a decision may satisfy bureaucratic logic, but it does little to reassure anxious citizens of being led by a responsible and responsive government. Nigerian leaders cannot conveniently disclaim responsibility whenever communities are frightened and  consequently resort to desperate measures of safeguarding their own lives. This unfortunate incident hints at informal engagement strategies advocated by Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, who has consistently argued for dialogue with armed groups. Whether these elders were consciously replicating such approaches calls for serious scrutiny. Who authorised the elders to become negotiators? What mandate did they possess? These are legitimate questions requiring answers. Regretably, kidnapping in Nigeria has become a sophisticated criminal enterprise. The disturbing case of a woman in Edo State who allegedly orchestrated her own kidnapping illustrates the profit motive that now infects this criminal ecosystem. Consequently, security agencies must thoroughly investigate this Zamfara abduction case to unravel internal complicity and the possibility of any collaboration with the terrorists. Such scrutiny should not prejudge guilt but reflect the complexity of contemporary criminal networks. A Yoruba proverb captures this painful complexity with remarkable precision: “Egbinrin ote—bi a se n pa kan, n’ikan n ru,” meaning that conspiracy is like tangled undergrowth; as one strand is cut, another springs forth. Nigeria’s security crisis now resembles this intricate web: full of of betrayals, criminality, informants, collaborators and opportunists. Every apparent solution seems to reveal another layer of the problem. Yet, none of these complexities absolves government of its constitutional obligation.

Zamfara State has long remained the epicentre of rural banditry. Many communities in the state are already exhausted by years of killings, kidnappings and extortions. The people have naturally become susceptible to taking their destiny into their own hands. That impulse is understandable, even if the chosen method proves tragically misguided. The lesson from Muntsira forest is unmistakable. The Nigerian State must no longer appear hesitant while terrorists grow increasingly audacious. Security operations must become intelligence-driven, sustained, and decisive. Federal and state authorities should strengthen collaboration with local communities while expanding technological surveillance and border security. Given the transnational dimensions of organised banditry, Nigeria should also deepen intelligence cooperation with international partners experienced in counter-terrorism.

Nigeria cannot afford governmental paralysis while criminal empires flourish. Peace cannot survive where the State retreats and terrorists advance. The abducted elders deserve rescue. Their families deserve justice. But above all, Nigerians deserve a government capable of protecting lives and property as enshrined in the Constitution. Anything less merely cedes more ground to terror.