Residents of several rural communities in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State have raised alarm over renewed attacks and forced taxation by armed bandits, which have crippled farming and displaced scores of families.
Information gathered from locals in the Kwaren Ganuwa axis indicates that gunmen have intensified assaults on villages, abducting or killing residents who venture out to their farmlands or neighboring areas.
The worsening insecurity has forced many to abandon their livelihoods in fear.
Community members disclosed that the attackers, believed to be operating under the command of a notorious warlord, Ado Aleru, have imposed what they describe as “illegal levies” on dozens of villages.
His close associates, identified as Alti, Abu Boss, and Isah, are reportedly overseeing the collection of these payments.
According to residents, Bawa Ganga community was ordered to pay ₦20 million, while Gwanja and Gidan Isuhu were each asked to pay ₦4 million.
Matseri village reportedly received a demand for ₦3.5 million. Others, including Kauyen Jatau, Yar Giwa, Musawar Kalgo, Gidan Uda, and Marke Babba, were levied amounts ranging between ₦1 million and ₦2 million.
“They have turned us into their subjects,” said a resident of Kwaren Ganuwa during a phone interview.
“Anyone who refuses to pay or attempts to go to the farm risks being kidnapped or killed. We can’t live freely anymore.”
The escalating extortion and violence have further deepened the humanitarian crisis in Tsafe LGA, one of Zamfara’s flashpoints in the ongoing rural banditry that has plagued the state for years.
Despite repeated military operations and government pledges, locals say the situation remains dire.
A community elder who pleaded anonymity urged the state government and security forces to act decisively before the crisis spirals out of control.
“We have lost everything, our peace, our farms, and our people. Without urgent intervention, the suffering here will only worsen,” he lamented.
Observers note that the persistent attacks underline the fragility of security efforts in rural Zamfara, where residents continue to live under the shadow of banditry despite repeated government reassurances.