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Brother of slain terrorist leader seeks peace deal in Zamfara mining community

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 Brother of slain terrorist leader seeks peace deal in Zamfara mining community

Mati Sububu, the younger brother of the notorious terrorist kingpin Halilu Sububu who was killed by Nigerian military forces in September has reached out to the people of Bagega, a mineral-rich town in Anka Local Government Area of Zamfara State, in a bid to broker peace.

Despite his own ties to banditry, Mati, alongside another known figure, Alhaji Beti, sent a delegation consisting of Fulani elders and so-called ‘repentant terrorists’ to meet with community leaders in Bagega.

The peace meeting took place on Saturday, with discussions centered on putting an end to recent violence in the region.

According to local sources, the militants are seeking increased access to the area’s lucrative mining sites—a demand that has stirred concern among residents.

While the outreach is seen by some as a potential step toward calm, others remain skeptical of the motives behind the peace overture.

READ ALSO: 20 miners, 8 others killed as bandits launch coordinated attacks on Zamfara communities

According to a report by TheBeat, an online platform focusing on banditry reporting, residents said the terrorists had recently intensified attacks on Bagega and communities around it.

According to the report, on 25 April, they abducted six women in the community and killed a man.in another attack the following day. While the latter victim was being buried around 9 a.m., the terrorists invaded the cemetery again, firing sporadically and killing a vigilante.

A community leader at the meeting reportedly told the news platform that residents considered the terrorists’ call for peace as suspicious. “They want to continue mining gold,” he said in a series of voice notes on WhatsApp that he sent to this newspaper Sunday evening.

Residents said Mati and his gangs were applying a strategy the late Mr Sububu used to gain access to the mining site.

“We were here when Halilu (Sububu) came, and the first thing he did was negotiate. They want to keep people silent about attacks in the ward so that attention will be diverted to other areas. This would give them complete access to the gold. If they continue to attack and our vigilante members continue to repel the attack, more soldiers will be sent here, which means no business,” a community leader said.

However, he said the community leaders accepted the invitation to negotiate, describing it as a welcome development to stop bloodshed in the area.

“Mati’s brother, Halilu Sububu, initiated a peace deal with all the towns in this axis. After his death, the peace deal collapsed because his group got divided, so I think they’re now trying to bring back the peace deal”, one of the sources said.

Bagega, located close to the Sumke forest that straddles Anka, Bukkuyum, Maru and some communities in Kebbi and Niger States, has many mining sites. Halilu Sububu controlled most mining sites in the area and engaged community residents to mine gold for him.

 

(PremiumTimes)



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