In northwest Nigeria, bandits and other criminal groups have transformed into tax collectors, taking advantage of helpless farmers.
According to a BBC Hausa Service report, well-armed bandits are currently preying on farming peasants in Zamfara, Katsina, and some areas of Kaduna.

Before the farmers can harvest their crops, they demand large tax payments.

On occasion, they gather taxes while continuing to pilfer the produce.

The study stated that “many farmers have been forced to lose their farms due to this security crisis, which is expected to lead to food shortages in Nigeria.”
The Zamfara villagers said in the report that the militants are demanding millions of dollars in taxes before letting them harvest their crops.

The BBC was informed by a Kurmi village resident in Zamfara State’s Maru Local Government Area that the gunmen demanded N800,000 in taxes in early November before allowing them to cultivate their crops.

“Villages like Duhuwar Saulawa, Duhuwar Maikulungu, Baudi, Zagadi, Doka, and Tungar Makeri are nearby.”

“The gunmen took them when they went to work [on the farm] after they paid the money,” he claimed.

Another local claimed that the bandits are seizing the crops.

“The gunmen chased away the farmers and stole their produce after the operation was over.”

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