Bandit leader, Turji demands N50m to allow farming in Zamfara, Niger communities

Bandit leader, Bello Turji has reportedly threatened farmers around Zamfara state this rainy season.

According to security expert, Bakatsine in a post on his X handle, Turji said farmers can only ‘peacefully’ go to their farms after paying N50m tax.

This ransom is said to affect residents of Tsalaken Gulbi from Fakai village, Shinkafi LGA, Zamfara State. It extends up to Qaya near the Niger border.

It has become almost tradition for farmers around troubled areas in the North to pay a sort of safety tax to bandits before farming and during harvest.

However, previous reports confirmed that some farmers still lose their lives, even after paying the tax, while other times, they lose their farm produce to the bandits or both.