Mass Exodus From Zamfara Communities As Bandits Seize 110 Residents

• The targeted individuals were said to have resisted paying the N110 million levy imposed by the notorious bandits leader.
• Mohammed explained that the bandits kingpin directed each of the four communities to pay certain amount of money to make up the N110 million.

After 110 persons were kidnapped by bandits in Zamfara State’s Maru Local Government Area for not paying a renowned bandits boss N110 million a month in levy, the community abandoned four of the affected areas.

According to PUNCH Online, bandits kidnapped 110 persons on Friday night after invading four communities in the local government on suspicion of not paying the N110 million fee levied by the infamous bandits boss.

Ibrahim Mohammed, a local resident, told PUNCH Online over the phone that people from the four villages—Mutumji, Kwana, Mahuta, and Unguwar Kawo—have fled to Balele town in search of safety after the bandits’ leader threatened to return and kidnap more people if the N110 million levy was not paid by the deadline.

“We have to flee to other places due to the fear that after abducting 110 people, the leader of the bandits, sent a warning letter to us that we must pay the levy within a week or else he would send his men to come and abduct more people,” he said.

Mohammed explained that the bandits kingpin directed each of the four communities to pay certain amount of money to make up the N110 million.

According to him, Mutumji village is expected pay N50m, Kwana N30 million, Mahuta N20 million and Unguwar Kawo is to pay N10 million.

According to Mohammed, the four villages are currently deserted, stressing that there are only animals and the sick persons who could not go anywhere.

“The only thing you will see if you go to those villages are the animals and the sick persons or the old ones who cannot trek to other places,” he added.

Mohammed said bandits kingpin has been collecting levy in the four villages, lamenting that authorities are aware of their predicament but could not do anything to protect them.

He said, “We have been paying levies to bandits just because we have nobody to protect us and we have been reporting this issue to both the state and the local governments but nothing has been done.

“We are still calling on the Federal Government to please come to our aid.

“We have been in a terrible situation in the last four years.

“We have yet to harvest our crops because we could not settle the N110 million imposed on us by the bandits.”

All efforts made by PUNCH Online to speak to the spokesperson for the state police command, ASP Yazid Abubakar, failed as he could not be reached on the telephone.