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 said.
Motorcycle-riding armed bandits have been terrorising the state.
Cows are valued by the Fulani herder community who have been accused of being behind a wave of attacks.
However, members of the community have repeatedly rejected the allegations saying that they too were victims.
An average cow in northern Nigeria costs about 100,000 naira ($260; £200) while an AK-47 on the black market could cost as much as 500,000 naira ($1,200; £950), the BBC's Mansur Abubakar reports.
"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.
BBC News
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