Naijajingles
Terrorists operating in North Western part of the country have imposed a harvest fees of between N5 million and N20 million on villagers in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
The development was disclosed on Tuesday in a post on X by Bakatsine, a conflict and crisis journalist covering insecurity in Nigeria’s northwest.
Bakatsine said the terrorists also known as bandits, demanded the levy from the villagers before allowing them to harvest their crops.
He described the development in Tsafe as not just insecurity but a collapse of basic protection for rural communities.
Bakatsine wrote: “Villagers in Tsafe LGA of Zamfara State, say bandit are now charging them “harvest fees” before they can touch their own crops. Communities are being forced to pay between N5 million and N20 million just to access their farmlands.
“But it doesn’t end there.
“Residents say that even after paying, the same gunmen often release cattle into the fields, destroying what little food people have left. Complaining isn’t an option as locals say speaking up could cost them their lives.
“People here feel completely abandoned. They’re asking: How is this allowed to continue? Where are the leaders meant to protect us?
“What’s happening in Tsafe is not just insecurity, it’s the collapse of basic protection for rural communities.”
