Bandits Demand Farm Produce As Ransom, Kill Niger Village Head

Bandits have resorted to demanding farm produce and cattle as ransom for kidnapped persons as well as a requirement to stop the deadly attacks on villages in Niger State. A village head, Alhaji Usman Abara who failed to comply with the new demand has been dropped dead by the terrorists.

LEADERSHIP gathered that the bandits made demands from Gulbin boka, Dusai, Bena and Bangi the headquarters of Mariga local government area of the state at the weekend.

It was learnt that last week, the members of Muhoro community refused to heed to their demands and the bandits ended up killing the head of the community Alhaji Usman Abara and 14 of his subjects.

Knowledgeable sources say the terrorists have been faced with serious food shortage due to a cut in their supply chain caused by intense actions of security operatives.

The terrorists are operating along the interior of border communities between Niger and Zamfara States. Those four communities are most affected. The terrorists have resorted to demanding from them five bags of their farm produce and five of their cattle per village monthly.

A resident of the area who prefer anonymity told reporter that the communities have been given two weeks to comply or face a deadly attack.

“They said if we don’t have food produce, we should pay N50 million the same amount they demanded from Muhoro community who are mostly farmers before they will allow them to harvest their farm produce, if they can’t part with their harvest,” the villager stated

He said, “The village head urged us not to respond to their demand, and their informant within us took the words to them and they got annoyed, stormed our village and killed him.”

Four communities have been deserted by the residents to evade the planned deadly attack on them by the bandits.

The state police commissioner, Mr Monday Bala Kuryas, said the command has not received such a report, but said the command will not leave any stone unturned in fortifying more tactical squares to safeguard the communities.

He appealed to the affected communities to report any unfriendly and suspicious movement in their communities to the appropriate security agencies for prompt action.