What started as sporadic assaults on agrarian communities in Zamfara and Sokoto States has morphed into full-blown occupation, as armed teams have institutionalised a parallel tax regime that’s crippling farming and stoking meals inflation within the North-west.
Investigations by LEADERSHIP within the two states confirmed that bandits now function three distinct levy regimes – pre-farming levy, harvest tax and safety levy – a improvement that has compelled many farmers to desert their farmlands.
N4m – N6m Per Village In Sabon Birni
In June 2026, armed teams imposed recent levies on not less than 26 communities in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
The affected communities embody Zululu, Garin Faji, Cinnah Barka, Dan Gari, Garin Idi, Garin Maigayya, Gardi, Katsira, Garin Baushe, Sulmawa, Zakin Ganga and Kaifin Aska, amongst others.
A resident of Garin Faji, Zayyanu Biri, advised LEADERSHIP that every neighborhood was requested to pay between N4 million and N6 million earlier than being allowed to entry their farmlands. He stated households contribute between N1,500 and N2,000 every, whereas large-scale farmers pay as much as N5,000.
According to him, the bandits issued a three-day ultimatum, warning that anybody discovered on the farm with out cost risked abstract execution or abduction.
A village head in Tsamaye, Isiyaka Dangaladima, stated for about 4 years, farmers in hamlets underneath his authority had been paying levies to a bandit chief recognized as Yar Daribiyar, but they had been nonetheless attacked.
He stated, “While working in their fields, armed groups often carry out sporadic raids for ransom kidnappings and, at times, brutal killings. Many farmers from Garsaku, Samgu, Malamawa and Gidan Na Birni were either kidnapped or killed while farming, even after paying.”
Another farmer, Muhammadu Dadi, stated, “Our farms have become their farms. We became labourers on land we once owned.”
N50 million Levy After Attack On Soldiers In Dansadau
In Dansadau District, Maru LGA of Zamfara State, bandits led by one Dankarami Gwaska reportedly imposed a N50 million levy on Bindin neighborhood and its neighbours following an assault on a army base within the space.
Residents stated about N360 million was extorted inside two weeks of the assault, which left homes and retailers burnt.
In Tsafe LGA, the sample is barely totally different. Communities pay between N5 million and N20 million as harvest tax earlier than they’re allowed to reap their crops. Even after cost, the bandits launch cattle to destroy the crops.
Camps, Commanders And Lost Farms
Security sources and native accounts point out that Zamfara alone hosts over 30,000 bandits in additional than 100 camps positioned within the forest belts of Shinkafi, Zurmi, Sububu, Dansadau, Tsafe, Anka and Bukkuyum.
In Sokoto, the camps, that are linked to the Zamfara community, function from the Sabon Birni, Isa and Goronyo axis.
Commanders nonetheless lively within the zone embody Bello Turji (Shinkafi/Zurmi), Dogo Gide (Sububu Forest), Dankarami Gwaska (Anka/Maru) and Halilu Sububu.
An rising development since 2022, LEADERSHIP gathered, is that bandits now personal farms. Residents in Anka LGA stated extra farming is presently completed by bandits than by locals, as communities are compelled to offer labour on bandits’ farms earlier than engaged on theirs.
The Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) in Zamfara stated the state is shedding about N43 billion in farming income yearly, with a projected 50 per cent drop in rice manufacturing this season.
The improvement has worsened meals insecurity. According to the Cadre Harmonise report of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), about three million individuals within the North-west are critically meals insecure, a determine that rose to 4.3 million within the first quarter of 2025.
Analysts additionally hyperlink the levies to rising meals costs. Checks confirmed that transporters transferring foodstuffs now pay between N5,000 and N50,000 per journey as “transport premium”, including 20 to 30 per cent to retail costs.
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