Bandits Impose Levies On Kaduna Farmers Before Harvest

 

Bandits have imposed levies on villages in some communities of Kaduna State.

 

DailyTrust reported that the levies were imposed specifically in the local governments of Igabi, Giwa, and Birnin Gwari.

 

This is as bandits continue to intimidate and harass them, forcing many of them to abandon their farmlands.

 

The farmers are compelled to pay levies to the bandits to allow them to harvest their crops and access their farmlands.

 

The affected communities, such as Kidandan, Galadimawa Kerawa, Sabon Layi, Sabon Birni and Ruma, witness residents paying between N70,000 and N100,000 to bandits for permission to harvest.

 

Those who refuse to comply face severe consequences, including abduction, murder, or confiscation of their produce.

 

Residents, like Malam Jamil Kidandan, said some are thinking of relocating from the area.

“The situation is particularly dire on the Galadimawa axis. We appeal to security agencies to intensify raids on bandit camps around Giwa LGA,” he said.

 

According to him, farmers without money most often have their crops confiscated.

 

In Kerawa village, a resident, Shafi’u Kerawa, confirmed the payment of levies to bandits before harvesting, emphasising the need for increased security presence, especially along the Tsako to Kerawa road, due to the persistent threat by bandits.

 

“As the dry season approaches, farmers are eager to harvest their crops, but the absence of security personnel makes it challenging for them to venture into nearby bushes,” he said.

 

According to him, Kerawa town is big and full of farmers, but lack of the presence of police or soldiers makes the residents vulnerable to bandits’ attacks.

 

In Ruma village, located behind Kaduna Airport Road, in Igabi Local Government Area, many farmers have abandoned their farms, relocating to safer communities to avoid the terror and levies imposed by bandits.

 

A resident from Sabon Birni village near the Kaduna Airport, said bandits have turned the villagers into their workers, compelling them to toil on bandit-owned farms, especially in Ruma village.

“Those without money to pay are forced to sell their crops to raise the levies or even work on the bandits’ farmlands,” he said.

 

Malam Jafar Anaba, a displaced community leader from Anguwar Salahu, near Kerawa village, warns of a potential food shortage in the state if the insecurity persists.

“Many farmers have abandoned their farms due to the constant threat of banditry in the area, and this has affected our productivity,” he said.

 

In Eastern Birnin Gwari, Hudu Kwasakwasa, a resident said their community experiences less interference from bandits due to the presence of Ansaru militants.

 

According to him, farmers in the area work without fear of forced levies since bandits avoid the community to avoid encounter with the Ansaru militants.

 

However, he explained that neighbouring communities in Katsina State, with whom they share border, suffered as the bandits destroyed farms at will.

 

Farmers sell houses, farms to pay levies – Union

 

The Birnin Gwari Emirate Progressive Union Chairman, Ishaq Kasai, said the farmers have no choice but to pay levies to cultivate and harvest their crops.

“Bandits continue to terrorise rural communities in the western part of the LGA, limiting farmers to planting on only 30% of their farmlands despite payment,” he said.

 

According to him, communities like Kasakaki, Ganda, and Mashigi in western Birnin Gwari face extortion by bandits to be allowed to harvest crops.

 

Kasai highlighted that non-compliance could lead to the killing or abduction of farmers.

“In some cases, even after paying levies, bandits may detain labourers, demanding additional money for their release,” he lamented.

 

Kasai further revealed that the bandits have impoverished the people in those areas, causing many to abandon farmlands inside the bush and return to lands near their communities.

 

However, the villagers still face intimidation in areas like Sabon Layi, Dawakin Bass and Kulgin Gabas, where nobody farmed without settling the bandits.

 

Kasai suggested that security agencies should raid bandits’ camps across the LGA, especially in remote villages, as the only way to combat the problem.