Armed bandits ask farmers in Kaduna State to cough up N12m or face being kidnapped

ARMED bandits operating in the Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State have stepped up their activities of late audaciously increasing the amount they tax farmers by N12m ($27,775) before allowing them to get on with their daily business.

Kaduna State has been terribly affected by the spate of kidnapping, banditry and terror afflicting Nigeria, with abductions and killings taking place on a daily basis. Earlier this year, it was reported that the hoodlums operating in the Birnin Gwari area were charging local communities as much N400m if they wanted to live in peace.

However, it appears that the bandits have become more daring and have thus decided to increase their fees. Ishaq Usman Kasai, the chairman of the Birnin Gwari Emirate Progressive Union, explained that the bandits had threatened the farmers that they risked being abducted on the farms if they failed to pay the N12m.

Mr Kasai said: “The bandits informed some farming communities including Kwaga, Kwanan-Shehu, Unguwan Liman and Unguwan Shekarau to pay levies amounting to N12m (N3m each) in order for them to be allowed to continue harvesting their crops. The communities were given only a grace of today Friday, September, 30, 2022, to meet the condition, failure which the bandits vowed to kidnap any person found on the farms.

He stated that the union found that the helpless communities had started making contributions based on farm size to meet the condition and the deadline. However, the union appealed to the Nigerian government to come to the aid of the helpless farming communities in order to allow them to have access to their farms and harvest their crops without any harm or intimidation.

On Saturday September 28, six people who were kidnapped at a farm in Kwaga community on September 24 were released  after providing the bandits with rice, beans, 25 litres of red oil, 25 litres of groundnut oil and recharge cards worth N10,000. Then four people from Unguwan Liman, who were kidnapped on Saturday, September, 24, and one from Unguwan Shekarau were also released yesterday after the payment of N2m and N500,000 respectively.