Residents of Isa community in Sokoto State, a town bordering Nigeria and Niger Republic, said they sighted hundreds of heavily armed bandits regrouping in Katanga area for a meeting.
In a Twitter by post by Idris Mohammed, a renowned conflict reporter, Kachalla Dankwaro and Kachalla Nagona invited the bandits from different part of Zamfara and Katsina States. “It was said Bello Turji will also attend the meeting,” Idris tweeted.
READ: One Year After, Bandits Return to Sokoto Community, Set It Ablaze
The proposed meeting is coming amid continous imposition of levies on peasant farmers in Zamfara by Turji and threats to attack them should they fail to comply.
Last week, residents of Moriki community in Zurmi local council, has started deserting their homes after failing to meet the deadline for a N20 million levy imposed on them by Turji. According to reports, the levy is a form of tax for using their farmlands during the just concluded rainy reason.
Out of the N20 million, they were able to raise N10.5 million and five among seven men who went to deliver the levy were abducted pending when the balance will be paid.
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“The residents of Moriki were asked to pay the sum of N6,500 each to make up the N20M levy while women were asked to contribute N1,500, even with the economic hardship,” Abdul Balarabe, a Zamfara-based journalist, tweeted. “The residents of the community were able to contribute a total of N10.5m & decided to deliver the money raised advanced payment pending when the remaining money were raised, that’s where 7 people were selected within the community for them to deliver d money but 5 were abducted by the bandit leader Turji demonstrating his anger over d inability of d pple to raise d complete money requested”.
According to him, the two elders were asked to come and briefed the community on the need for them to raise the remaining balance of N9.5M within 24 hours, and the people of the area are working harder to ensure that the balance is raised within the time frame.
