Bandits now collecting taxes from farmers in President Buhari’s home state

Bandits in some parts of Katsina State are currently running quasi-administrative policies that include the imposition of taxes on farmers.

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Katsina is the home state of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The bandits have been taxing farmers in Danmusa and Batsari Local Government Areas.

Mostly affected villages are Gurzar-Kuka, Mara, Dunya, Batsarin-Alhaji, Nahuta, Kasai, Dangeza, Dantudu and other villages that are close to forests.

The farmers in these villages are asked to pay to access their farms or forced to work on the farms of the criminals.

One of the affected farmers, Muhammed Auwal, 55, in Nahuta village said from the last farming season, farmers in his village were asked to pay tax to bandits to access their farms but that didn’t protect them from attacks by the bandits.

“They’d seize our cattle or motorbikes. This season, they asked our neighbouring village, Kasai, to contribute money and buy fertilizer for them which they did.

“Last season, every household in Nahuta had to pay N1,000 and we contributed more than N2 million as tax for the bandits which we delivered to them before they allowed us to farm. But this season, we’re lucky because they didn’t ask for tax from us maybe because soldiers have been deployed to our community. But villages surrounding us are still battling with these insecurity issues.”

Another farmer , Salisu, 45, from Tashar Modibbo said he could only cultivate seven out of the 20 acres of his farmland due to insecurity in his village.

“Even this farming season we were asked to pay N2,000 as tax for everyone who has cattle-ridge tool and I have one, so I paid N2,000 last year and this farming season.

“We contributed at least N200,000 to them. Once we fail to pay the tax; they would not allow us to farm and they can still confiscate your motorbike, mobile phone or money. No one can dare say he won’t pay the tax. We don’t inform authorities for fear of consequences,’’ he added.

Also speaking, Alhaji Sa’adu Nuhu Batsari, 65, a large-scale farmer said every household in Batsarin-Alhaji had to pay N500 to the bandits from the last farming season.

He added that the bandits also demanded that the villagers supply them with fertilizer, noting that villagers had to tax themselves to purchase the fertilizer.

“Once you’re on the farm these people would come and abduct, kill or harass you. I abandoned my farms that are deep inside the bush and now work on the one close to town that is only two hectares. The constant threat stopped me from going to the farm.”

Audu Sada, a farmer in Gurzar-Kuka village, related how his brother recently donated N20,000 as the balance of N200,000 earlier demanded by bandits as tax before they allowed them to access their farms and escape from being kidnapped.

“Recently, they came here in broad daylight wielding AK47 rifles, asking us to contribute N200,000 before we would access our farms. They promised that when we paid the money they wouldn’t kidnap anybody among us. My elder brother had personally paid N20,000 as our contribution,” he said.

“That’s the only option we have because our communities have been forgotten by the government. The truth is that the bandits have taken over power here. Because since they came and killed about seven people last year, we’ve not witnessed the presence of police officers in our villages. Even when we reported to Danmusa Divisional Office they’d not dare coming here”

In Kurechi village of Dutsin-Ma local government, farmers are compelled to pay taxes to Habibu, the leader of the bandits in the area.

It was gathered that two farmers were shot by bandits in the village for failure to pay Habibu tax for them to access their farms. One of the victims died from gunshot wounds while the other is still receiving treatment.

It was further gathered that Habibu had been forcing farmers to pay money ranging from N50,000 to N100,000 before they could access their farms or face his wrath of kidnapping or killing his victims.

According to our source in the village who pleaded anonymity, the bandit leader, who is well known to them, had earlier promised not to allow any farmer to access his farm for the whole of this season in Kurechi, Sana’wa, Jan-ruwa and other communities within.

“Recently bandits under Habibu’s command came here and shot two farmers. One had died while the other is still receiving treatment,” the source recalled. 

He added, “We know him very well. There’s a time the vigilante conducted a house-to-house search for guns from herdsmen and AK47 rifles were recovered from his father and elder brother and that led to their execution by the vigilante.

“That’s how that little boy, Habibu, escaped into the bush and joined the bandits. And all of a sudden, he had metamorphosed into a gang leader and began to terrorize our communities. He’d even promised not to allow anybody to go to the farm this year.

“Many farmers are paying him what he demanded from them out of fear for their lives. If you dare them, you’ll die because security operatives don’t come here to our aid.”

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