Victor Ezeja
AdminDespite security agencies’ efforts in raiding bandits’ camps in Kaduna State, the terrorists have continued to make the lives of villagers in Kaduna local government areas of Igabi, Giwa, and Birnin Gwari miserable by imposing exorbitant levies that have forced poor farmers to ditch their farmlands.
In affected communities such as Kidandan, Galadimawa Kerawa, Sabon Layi, Sabon Birni and Ruma, residents are said to be paying between N70,000 and N100,000 to bandits as permission-to-harvest levies. This is as defaulters get subjected to severe consequences, including abduction, murder, or confiscation of their produce.
The Chairman of the Birnin Gwari Emirate Progressive Union, Ishaq Kasai, told reporters that 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 per cent of their farmlands despite payment,” he said, pointing out that non-compliance could lead to the killing or abduction of farmers.
According to the Chairman, communities like Kasakaki, Ganda, and Mashigi in western Birnin Gwari face extortion by bandits to be allowed to harvest crops.
Kasai highlighted
“In some cases, even after paying levies, bandits may detain labourers, demanding additional money for their release,” he said.
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. He recommended that security agencies should raid bandits’ camps across the LGA, especially in remote villages, as the only way to combat the problem.
Some residents are already thinking of relocating from the area with Malam Jamil Kidandan lamenting that “the situation is particularly dire on the Galadimawa axis. We appeal to security agencies to intensify raids on bandit camps around Giwa LGA”.
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, adding that the absence of police or soldiers makes the residents mostly farmers vulnerable to bandits’ attacks.
Many farmers in Ruma village located behind Kaduna Airport Road, in Igabi Local Government Area, according to Daily Trust, 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.
A displaced community leader from Anguwar Salahu, near Kerawa village, Malam Jafar Anaba however warned 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.
However, the villagers still face intimidation in areas like Sabon Layi, Dawakin Bass and Kulgin Gabas, where nobody farmed without settling the bandits.
When contacted by the newspaper, the member representing Kakangi Constituency in the State House of Assembly, Yahaya Musa confirmed that bandits are indeed terrorising farmers in his constituency and other areas.
“I’m from Dogon Dawa area. Even a few days ago, the bandits seized a vehicle with crops in the Kakangi area. The car owner was held hostage until ransom was paid to the bandits.
“This is also happening around the Damari area. You have to part with a certain amount of money before they allow you to harvest. Those who don’t have money will be forced to sell their crops to settle the bandits.
“Sometimes, the bandits will wait until the farmers harvest the crops before approaching them to ask for levies. Those who do not have money are forced to sell their crops to pay the levies,” he said, disclosing that he has been calling on the authorities concerned to take measures to end the insecurity in remote villages.
“If a local farmer will plant his crops and end up being forced to pay levies to bandits, it means the situation is serious. This is because only a few people in villages even have the chance to farm, and at the end, they lose what they farm to bandits. How then can the people survive?” Musa asked rhetorically.
“This is why it’s very important for the government to secure and protect the lives and properties of the people to give them a sense of belonging. Recently, we got the report that the security agencies carried out an operation around the axis, and it was successful, but more needs to be done,” he said.
The lawmaker added that the insecurity along the Kaduna-Birnin Gwari highway has reduced due to security operations, but the major challenge is how the bandits terrorise villagers in their homes at night as well as on their farms.
Another lawmaker, Shehu Abubakar, representing Magajin Gari Constituency at the State Assembly, disclosed lawmakers from Birnin Gwari, including their federal counterparts, recently paid a courtesy visit to the Chief of Army Staff to discuss the security situation in the area.
“I was called last week that at Angwar Laya village and some communities around, the bandits demanded N8 million and motorcycles, which I immediately reported to the council chairman.
“They (bandits) made it compulsory for farmers to pay the levies before harvesting their crops. So, it’s not a hidden thing. As a lawmaker, I have been doing my duty by constantly reporting the issue to both the state government and security agencies,” he reportedly said.
Follow Us