Farmers in parts of Zamfara and Sokoto states say they are being forced to pay levies to armed bandits before they can access or harvest their crops.
Residents told The Guardian that despite favourable rainfall, persistent attacks have turned farmlands into conflict zones, leaving farmers in fear and threatening food supplies.
Villagers said the bandits have introduced what they describe as “harvest taxes,” demanding cash or a share of agricultural produce in exchange for access to farms.
Community sources said the armed groups have mounted checkpoints around villages, where they collect levies and punish those who fail to comply.
“We are living under a parallel authority,” a farmer from Tsafe LGA in Zamfara said, asking not to be named for security reasons.
“They gave us a timetable on when to go to our farms, how much to pay, and they also take a portion of our grains. Those who refuse are attacked or abducted,” he said.
The intimidation has forced many farmers to abandon their fields as crops come due for harvest.
Reports from Isa, Sabon Birni and Goronyo LGAs in Sokoto indicate similar conditions, with deserted communities, idle farmlands and rising food prices as markets face shortages.
Residents said the insecurity has overwhelmed them and called for sustained military patrols in rural areas during the harvest period.
“Without protection, our efforts are wasted. We may face famine despite having good rains,” a farmer in Bakura, Zamfara, said.
Farmers’ associations and local leaders have appealed to the federal government to deploy more troops across hotspot areas.
Meanwhile, more than 16 residents of Sabo village in Murai ward, Talata Mafara local government area of Zamfara, were reportedly kidnapped during an attack by bandits.
Youth in Gidan Matan Aure have begun organising to defend their community after reports of an imminent raid on nearby Sado village.
Aliyu Saidu, the district head of Sado, said the bandits entered the community under heavy surveillance by local vigilantes.
“The vigilantes worked hard to repel the attack, but the terrorists overpowered them, considering the large number of assailants who stormed the village,” he said.
