Four towns in Zamfara State’s Maru Local Government Area have been deserted after bandits abducted 110 people for refusing to pay a N110 million monthly fee to a notorious bandits lord.
On Friday night, bandits stormed four villages in the local government and abducted 110 individuals for reportedly refusing to pay the known bandits kingpin’s N110 million fee.
Ibrahim Mohammed, an indigene of the area, told reporters over the phone that residents of the four villages, Mutumji, Kwana, Mahuta, and Unguwar Kawo, have fled to Balele town for safety after the bandits leader threatened to return and abduct more people if the N110 million levy was not paid within one week.
“We have to flee to other places due to the fear that after abducting 110 people, the leader of the bandits, sent a warning letter to us that we must pay the levy within a week or else he would send his men to come and abduct more people,” he told reporters.
Mohammed added that the leader of the robbers had commanded each of the four communities to pay a particular amount of money in order to make up the N110 million.
Mutumji village is slated to pay N50 million, Kwana N30 million, Mahuta N20 million, and Unguwar Kawo N10 million, according to him.
According to Mohammed, the four villages are currently desolate, with only animals and sick people able to travel anywhere.
“The only thing you will see if you go to those villages are the animals and the sick persons or the old ones who cannot trek to other places,” he went on to say.
Mohammed stated that the bandits’ kingpin has been collecting tax in the four villages, lamenting that authorities are aware of their plight but are powerless to help them.
“We have been paying levies to bandits simply because we have no one to protect us,” he explained, “and we have reported this issue to both the state and local governments, but nothing has been done.”
“We have yet to harvest our crops because we could not settle the N110 million imposed on us by the bandits.”
All attempts by reporters to reach the state police command’s spokesperson, ASP Yazid Abubakar, were futile because he could not be reached on the phone.