A delegation of village elders who were attempting to open peace talks with a local gang leader has been abducted in northwestern Nigeria.
At least 39 residents from Magamin Diddi village were seized on Sunday during a meeting in Zamfara state, an area long affected by armed violence.
The group had organised the gathering with the father of a suspected bandit leader, Jimo Smally, in an effort to discuss a recent blockade of a local market.
Police described the incident as a failed grassroots attempt at reconciliation, saying the situation turned violent when armed men arrived and took the participants captive.
Security sources said Smally and members of his armed group ambushed the meeting and abducted the elders while discussions were underway.
The attackers are part of loosely organised criminal networks, commonly referred to as bandits, which have carried out kidnappings and attacks across rural Nigeria for years.
Authorities said the meeting had not been approved and reiterated that negotiations with armed groups are not permitted under government policy.
Security forces have launched a search-and-rescue operation in nearby forested areas to locate and free the abducted villagers.
The incident underscores the growing desperation in some rural communities, where residents have sometimes turned to informal dialogue in the absence of effective protection.
Zamfara state remains deeply affected by insecurity, with armed groups continuing to target civilians for ransom and disruption of local livelihoods.