Bandits have ascertained dominance while levying N11 million fee on farmers in the Mariga local government area of Niger state
In addition, if the money was not received, the bandits threatened to stop the farmers from harvesting their crops.
The bandits attacked villages in the north-central state’s Dusai, Holobo, Sabon Wurin, and Hunyo areas, according to security reports released on Friday.
In return for the kidnapped villagers, they demanded not just money but also food, mobile phones, and motorcycles.
The most recent development is part of a rising pattern in which bandits impose high taxes on local populations, a strategy that was also used by well-known bandit leader Bello Turji in northwest Nigeria.
