Farmers in Dan Isa district of Kaura Namoda Local Government Area, Zamfara State, are groaning under the weight of extortion as armed bandits now demand a total of N1.6 million from each village to allow farming activities this rainy season.
According to Malam Hassan Yarima, the Ward Head of the district, the 35 villages under his jurisdiction are required to pay N800,000 to access farmlands for cultivation and another N800,000 during harvest, as a “security fee” demanded by a feared bandit leader, identified as Dan Sadiya.
Yarima, who spoke to Daily Trust in a telephone interview, lamented the helplessness of the local population, saying the farmers have been left with no option but to comply in order to survive.
“Every village in my district must pay N800,000 to farm and another N800,000 to harvest,” Yarima disclosed.
“This is the condition set by the bandits’ leader. If we don’t pay, they will not let us work on our farms. We just want to feed our families.”
Despite the extortion payments, Yarima said, the armed men continue to terrorize communities, unleashing violence and looting farm produce, livestock, and other essentials.
“Even after we pay, they still come. Every week, they invade our villages, collect foodstuffs and demand more money. Sometimes, they abduct our women after collecting our goods,” he added.
Residents of Dan Isa and neighbouring communities now live in fear, unable to protect themselves from the constant threat of attacks.
The Ward Head noted that although the arrangement applies to his district, several other parts of Zamfara are likely facing similar or even worse conditions.
Zamfara State has remained one of the epicentres of armed banditry in Nigeria, with hundreds of villages displaced and economic activities crippled due to rising insecurity.
Farmers, who form the bulk of the rural economy, have been particularly vulnerable to violent extortion, kidnappings, and murder.
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