Audio By Carbonatix
Repentant bandits in Nigeria’s north-western state of Zamfara are being offered two cows for every AK-47 they surrender.
It is an attempt to encourage them to give up a life of crime and live a normal life as responsible citizens, Zamfara Governor Bello Matawalle says.
Motorcycle-riding armed bandits operating out of abandoned forest reserves are ransacking communities in Zamfara and nearby Katsina and Sokoto states.

They often loot shops, steal cattle and grain, and take people hostage for ransom.
In a recent attack in Zamfara state, 21 people were killed in Talata Mafara town by armed bandits.
Most people are into agriculture in Zamfara state, where the motto is "farming is our pride".
“These bandits who choose to repent initially sold their cows to buy guns and now that they want a life free of criminality we are asking them to bring us an AK-47 and get two cows in return, this will empower and encourage them,” Mr Matawalle said in a statement.
Latest Stories
-
Twelve killed as Polish bus veers off Hungarian motorway
32 minutes -
Building Ghana better: Why architects must be at the heart of national development
3 hours -
GMet warns of severe rainstorm across northern Ghana
4 hours -
Semenyo eyes bigger targets after breaking Yeboah’s Ghanaian Premier League record
4 hours -
Health Ministry reviews NDC manifesto commitments
5 hours -
Mfantsipim School @ 150 and Creech’s Mfantsipim Diaries: My First Shock
6 hours -
Labour backs proposed IPEC but demands full involvement in pay reforms
6 hours -
Ashaiman, parts of Accra to face a 15-hour power outage today
7 hours -
Mohammed Baantima Samba retains NPP Northern Regional chairmanship
8 hours -
Qatar denies capturing three Iranian pilots after downing fighter jets
8 hours -
Jeff Konadu Addo retains NPP Eastern Regional chairmanship
9 hours -
Peru cracks down on illegal gold mining in Amazon reserve with military show of force
9 hours -
NPP polls: Makafui Woanya re-elected as Volta Regional Chairman
9 hours -
NPP polls: List of newly elected NPP regional chairmen
10 hours -
Eleven killed in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, authorities say
10 hours