By Emmanuel Kwada
Bandits have imposed a staggering N60 million levy on twelve communities in Zamfara State, accusing residents of collaborating with Nigerian military operations that recently battered their hideouts. The affected villages—Koloma, Dan Hayin Zargado, Zargado, Dan Godabe, Sabuwar Tunga, Makini, Bubaka, Yelwa, Bahwada, Koda, Manya, and Kabusu—now teeter on the edge of chaos, with locals fearing brutal reprisals if they fail to pay up.
The audacious demand, reported Tuesday by security journalist Bakatsine on his verified X handle, has sent shockwaves through the region. Residents say they’re caught in a deadly vise: pay the bandits or face mass abductions, arson, and slaughter—yet they claim protection from authorities remains painfully inadequate. “We’re trapped,” one villager whispered, voice trembling with dread. “The bandits want our money, and the government can’t save us.”
Former Dankurmi Ward councillor Hon. Iliyasu Salisu Dankurmi confirmed the levy in a harrowing BBC Hausa interview, linking it directly to recent military raids that dealt heavy blows to the armed groups. “The Nigerian Army struck hard here,” Dankurmi revealed. “Now the bandits demand N60 million as payback. They’ve vowed to make life hell if we don’t comply.”
We’re trapped,” one villager whispered, voice trembling with dread
He added a grim footnote: eight Zargado residents have already been snatched, their freedom hinging on the ransom’s delivery.
Bakatsine’s report warned of an impending bloodbath unless swift government action intervenes. Community leaders echo this plea, begging federal and state officials—and security forces—to step in before the bandits unleash their wrath.
Yet, as of Tuesday morning, neither the Nigerian Army nor the Zamfara State government has issued a peep about the levy or the military operations sparking this crisis.
They’ve vowed to make life hell if we don’t comply
The levy is the latest twist in Northwest Nigeria’s unrelenting nightmare, where well-armed gangs have long tormented rural enclaves with kidnappings, extortion, and murderous rampages. For Zamfara’s villagers, it’s a stark choice: empty their pockets or brace for annihilation. With the clock ticking, all eyes are on a government response that, so far, feels deafeningly silent.
