Some gunmen operating under the leadership of a notorious kingpin known as Danisuhu have reportedly imposed a sum N172.7 million levy on 25 villages in the Tsafe west Local Government Area of Zamfara state.
It was learnt that the gunmen also demanded material contributions like bags of soybeans and others.
Meanwhile, hundreds of residents of these villages have reportedly abandoned their homes, farmland, and livelihoods in fear of violent reprisals for failing to meet the demands, according to a security analyst and counter-insurgency expert in the Lake Chad area.
He said the targeted villages and their respective levies include: Gijinzama, ₦8.5M; Dakolo, ₦5M + 20 bags of soybeans; Gunja, ₦7M; Kauyen Kane, ₦5M; Kurar Mota; ₦6M, Sabon Garin; Bakin Gulbi, ₦2.5M; Kibari, ₦3M; Karda, ₦5M; Daga Ciki, ₦3M; Biya, ₦5M; Barebari, ₦6M; and Kauyen Magaji, ₦7M.
Others are Kwaren Maisaje, ₦10M; Magazawa, ₦10M; Maciya, ₦5M; Unguwar Danhalima, ₦5M; Unguwar Rogo, ₦5M; Katanga, ₦5M; Magazu, ₦5M; Sungawa, ₦15M; Rakyabu, ₦15M; Yalwa, ₦2.7M; Tsageru, ₦5M; Gidan Anne, ₦7M and Kunchin Kalgo, ₦20M.
The counter-insurgency expert in a report on Monday quoted a local source as saying, “The situation is dire. The inability to pay these levies often results in brutal attacks by the bandits, leaving the residents with no option but to flee.”
He noted that while security has improved along the Funtua-Tsafe axis and in Tsafe town, the gains have yet to extend to the rural villages of Tsafe West.
According to the report, the residents of Tsafe West are urgently calling on the Nigerian authorities to step in and deploy more security personnel to the area, as well as establish permanent security posts.
This comes as the community is facing a dire situation, with hundreds of residents displaced and in need of emergency relief due to the imposition of a massive levy by armed bandits.