Farmers in Zamfara and Katsina communities have cried out over how bandits are forcing them to pay harvesting taxes.
This means the farmers are forbidden (by bandits) to harvest their farm produce until cleared by the gunmen.
Nuhu Ɗan Sadau is a farmer from Dan Sadau community in Zamfara state, he narrated that the bandits levy them with heavy taxes ranging from one to fifteen million naira.
"They ask for four million, five million or three million. It is the small farmers that are asked to pay one million."
He said the bandits warn farmers not to return to their farms until they are able to pay the tax.
"Currently as I am speaking to you, they asked farmers of Tundima to pay them over ₦15 million naira."
"They have also levied farmers of ƙurar mota, and Dan Sadau ₦4 million."
He said villages including Magama, Malamawa, and Bazai stretching further have all been taxed by the bold gunmen.
Ɗan Sadau added that villages that have failed to pay the taxes have been visited by bandits, who took away villagers or taken some part of the farm produce.
Mannir Sani, who is a crime journalist in Zamfara, told AllNews that villages with security presence face different kinds of challenges.
"The bandits release their animals to the farmlands to eat up the produce," he said.
Another farmer in Katsina told newsmen in Katsina lamented that the farmers had to pay for the bandits to allow them to tilt their lands.
"And now they are asking for harvesting tax. Sometimes the farmers gather the demanded money and pay the bandits, but while working another group of bandits would come and demand more money."
"They say they (bandits) are not with the first group, hence they must be paid too."
The farmers say their produce is currently rotting away on their farmlands, as many are unable to pay the heavy taxes.
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