Farmers pay bandits huge taxes to access farmlands, harvest crops – Report
Farmers in agrarian communities of the northern part of Nigeria are in precarious delimma as suspected bandits imposed hefty taxes and levies on them before they could access their farms or harvest their crops.
Nigerian Tribune findings revealed that these demands are more pronounced in parts of Zamfara, Niger, Katsina, Kaduna and Benue states where bandits and other elements hold sway, while any attempt by farmers to call the bluff of these elements is met with destruction of crops and attacks on their communities.
It was learnt that quite a lot of agrarian communities have been deserted by farmers as they could not afford the levies being imposed on them by the bandits.
A farmer and community leader in Katsina State who craved anonymity disclosed that the levies sometimes imposed by the bandits were so heavy that they did not correspond with what they planted, adding that farmers facing such predicaments often abandon the farms.
“Imagine a levy of N5 million on a farmer whose farm is not worth N2 million, and in most cases, farmers are grouped together to pay such a levy.
READ ALSO: We paid bandits N400 million to access our farmlands – Kaduna community
“The levy you pay sometimes depends on the type of crop you plant. The consequences of non-payment are grave and often result in massacres, destruction of crops and attacks on villages,’’ they said.
Findings revealed that this has forced farmers to abandon their lands for something else to eke out a living for themselves and their families. The bandits also tax farmers for bringing their crops to sell in the market.
In Zamfara State, the activities of bandits on rampage have forced many farmers to abandon their farms for fear of being killed, while there are others who paid periodic levies to the bandits to allow them to farm and as well harvest their produce.
It was revealed that the worst-hit local government areas in Zamfara State are Maru, Maradun, Zurmi, Gusau, Bakura and Anka, where farmers have succumbed to the dictate of bandits to ply their trade. The recent being Moriki, Magarya in Zurmi Local Government Area, where bandits impose levy on the community for them to farm in their farmlands. It was learnt that killings and wanton destruction being carried out by the bandits are gradually turning farming into a dangerous venture, with an attendant hike in the prices of food in the state.
As part of the measures to arrest the pathetic situation, Governor Dauda Lawal recently ordered the closure of some cattle markets in some local governments alleged to be harbouring and promoting banditry.
In Taraba State, the activities of bandits collecting levies from farmers are well pronounced in Takum and Gassol local government areas, which are parts of the food basket councils in the state.
Community leaders in Zaki, Aondoaka Tyokyaa and Kabiru Maihanchi disclosed that levies imposed on these farmers and communities were being used to terrorise the same communities.
They added that the bandits often send messages to village heads when crops are being harvested, especially in September and December demanding money.
“The bandits normally send messages across village heads to pass on to community members when crops are being harvested between August and December, respectively. They placed the taxes based on their personal assessment of people’s wealth. They placed it between N100,000 for persons between 27 and 30 years, N150,000 for people with one wife, and N250,000 for those with two wives and above.
READ ALSO: Bandits in Katsina overpower security operatives, shoot 5 residents, kidnap 3
“The taxes have forced many people to relocate to other local governments in the state, and some have even moved to the South West zone,” the community leaders stated.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police in Taraba State, David Iloyonomon, had earlier in August 2024, during the command’s monthly briefing, said a joint security operation comprising police, the army and the vigilante has been set up in communities where bandits have been imposing taxes on the locals immediately crops are being harvested to stop the trend.
Meanwhile, crops rot away in Niger State, findings revealed that the bandits have been moving from one community to another, especially in Shiroro, Kukoki, Basa, Garage, Gusasu and Alawa communities, disrupting farming activities by imposing levies on farmers, while those who refused to pay were either attacked or forced to abandon their farms.
A farmer In Paikoro Local Government, Haliru Ibrahim, declared thus: “We are tired of paying levy to the bandits. If you refused to pay them, either they attack you on your farm or destroy your farm. As a result of this, many have abandoned farming for another business.”
In some of the communities in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, many farmers were said to have abandoned their crops to rot away or be harvested following the inability to raise funds for the payments of the levies imposed by bandits on the farmers.”
Attempts to speak with some of the farmers in the affected communities in Niger State were turned down for fear of being attacked by the bandits.
Attempts by Nigerian Tribune to make some of the people contacted for interviews disclose the names of their communities were rebuffed by the respondents over the excuse that the bandits have become more dangerous in recent times, killing some of the people who gave information about their criminal activities to security agencies for elimination.
The scenario Is a bit different in Plateau State where agrarian communities were either sacked or their crops pulled down by bandits to pave way for the occupation of their farms and communities.
To curb the menace of the bandits, the state governor, Caleb Muftwang, recently gave out motorcycles to security agencies in the state to patrol agrarian communities in the North and Central senatorial districts of the state.
Malnourished Northern Borno people cross borders in search of food as the Boko Haram insurgency, compounded by economic hardship, continue to aggravate a severe hunger crisis in Guzamala Local Government Area and its surrounding environs in Northern Borno, leaving thousands of residents displaced and struggling to access food.
In an exclusive interview with Nigerian Tribune in Maiduguri, Maina Modu, the senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the Speaker, State House of Assembly, revealed that Boko Haram remains active in Guzamala, particularly in Gudumbali, the capital of the Local Government Area, rendering the area inaccessible due to the presence of fighters who have dislodged and scattered the residents.
Modu noted that there is no military presence, but recently, the state government has mobilised 500 members of the Civilian Joint Task Force, including vigilantes and local security personnel to collaborate with the Police Crack Unit in protecting the only occupied ward, Marari, in Guzamala Local Governent Area.
He added that out of the ten wards, only Marari is occupied, while the other nine wards are inaccessible due to the presence of Boko Haram fighters.
According to him, the presence of ISWAP/Boko Haram fighters has prevented residents from accessing their farmlands, while 90 percent of the residents are taking refuge in Gubio, Nganzai, and Monguno local governments.
Modu explained that due to the high level of hunger, people of Guzamala have resorted to farming in Goni Adamti, Bulturam, Abbari, among other villages, exposing themselves to danger from Boko Haram fighters who intimidate them to leave or face consequences.
He stated that people lack food, and the situation is dire, with children malnourished and mothers crossing borders to neighbouring countries like Chad, Cameroon, and Niger to get food.
Boko Haram has also set up barricades to seize belongings, including food, and destroyed farm plots that sustain families.
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