Armed bandits tell Kebbi communities to pay $29,000 if they want access to their farms

ARMED bandits operating in Kebbi State have told local farming communities in Bena and Danko/Wasagu local government areas that they need to cough up N40m ($29,400) over the coming weeks before they will be allowed access to their farms.

Over recent years, heavily armed hoodlums have taken over large swathes of northwest Nigeria, operating as the de facto government, levying taxes and dispensing justice as they see fit. Of late, this scourge has spread to the rest of the country with 46 teachers and pupils kidnapped by terrorists in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State last Friday, sparking a national outcry.

Very brazen, the Oyo State kidnappers demanded  a ₦1bn ($735,000) ransom and the implementation of Sharia law as conditions for the release of their victims. They demanded that the money be paid into a Republic of Benin bank account and in addition asked for two Hilux vehicles and the release of arrested individuals they claim are linked to their network.

Now, the disease appears to be spreading with a group of hoodlums in Kebbi State demanding N40m before allowing local farmers access to their farmlands. Their demands have sparked panic among residents, forcing some families to abandon their communities over fears of possible attacks, while others remain uncertain about returning to their farmlands.

Sources from the affected communities said the situation has worsened tension in an area already struggling with recurring insecurity and limited security presence. Residents and observers say the development highlights a growing pattern in parts of the northwest where armed groups impose levies on rural communities before farming activities can take place. a practice widely described as taxation or peace arrangements in local parlance.

In the past, however, such arrangements have failed to guarantee peace and instead have deepened the cycle of intimidation in affected communities. Security analysts have warned that continued payment of such levies could embolden armed groups and expand their influence over rural settlements, further threatening agricultural productivity and food security.

Bakastine, a local security analyst and crisis journalist, questioned the sustainability of current security approaches, raising concern over the control of affected communities. He added: “If farmers must pay bandits before cultivating their land, who truly controls these communities?”