Bandits in Zamfara State have in the last couple of years been imposing varied taxes on local farmers as an additional means of earning money, in addition to kidnapping for ransom and cattle rustling.
To ensure prompt payment, they threaten to block access to farmlands and ransack farmers’ settlements wreaking havoc. Most farmers struggle to pay these levies to avoid further attacks.
A report from the Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime (GI-TOC) revealed that in August 2022 alone, two local government areas in Zamfara paid the sum of N8.3 million as harvest levies to different bands of bandits.
Another finding by SB Morgan Intelligence, an Africa-focused market/security intel gathering and strategic consulting firm, showed that farmlands along the Sokoto – katsina highway through the Zamfara State, which were previously abandoned, were cultivated in the last farming season. This suggests that farmers may have “settled” the bandits to gain access to their farms.
An interesting aspect of Zamfara’s situation is that the amount paid to bandits depends on the type and size of the crop to be farmed and harvested on the farmland.
On the occasion when individual farmers cannot afford the levy, they are required to surrender 50% of their harvest to the bandits.
The report explained that the bandits collect higher amounts for high net-worth crops like rice, beans and millet. Further inquiries indicated that the bandits make the farmers pay more during the harvest season than they pay during cultivation.
In addition to illegally imposing levies on farmers, bandits have become more directly engaged in farming activities. The bandits confiscate farmers’ lands and forcefully co-opt villagers to cultivate the lands.
As if that is not enough, the bandits still make use of these villagers to harvest and sell the farm produce and bring them the returns.
Communities in Maru LGA noted the trend in 2021, however, it has proliferated considerably in other local government areas in the last year (2023).
WIKKIDATA: In Three Years, Farmers in the Northwest Paid ₦139.45 Million to Bandits as Levies
The impact of the bandits’ activities is dire.
Despite a slight increase in 2023’s harvest compared to past years, there is barely any positive
impact on food prices in the market. Farmers, who pay bandits to allow them to harvest their crops, stated that they must account for the various sums paid to bandits, as well as transportation costs to the market when setting the final prices of their produce. And consumers consequently bear the brunt of these additional expenses.
This would simply mean that the more money paid to bandits, the more consumers bear the brunt of an increased food price. Already,Nigeria is battling with food inflation, a development that has worsened the standard of living and called for concerns across the country .
