Bandits Demand N100m From Niger Communities For Ceasefire

 As the ceasefire deal between communities in Shiroro local government area of Niger State and the terrorists ravaging the state subsists, the terrorits have shifted grounds to Mariga local government area where they collect between N40 million and N100 million from each community to allow them access their farms.

LEADERSHIP gathered that at the weekend, the terrorists formerly wrote to communities in Mariga, making payment of money as precondition for a ceasefire deal with them.

The village head of Bobi, a community in the area, Alhaji Mohammed Labbo, is among those that have received a letter from the bandits demanding for the sum of NN100 million to stop attacks on his community.

Bobi is a farming community famous for both crop and livestock as well as a host to the multi million naira grazing reserve.

A villager who preferred anonymity told LEADERSHIP that “the bandits warned the village head that in his interest and that of his subjects he should provide the said amount or his community will be invaded and large number of his subjects killed.”

In a related development, it was learnt that the bandits demanded the sum of N40 million from the head of Kontokoro community Alhaji Salihu Isyaka in the same Mariga local government area. Kontokoro is another farming community that shares boundary with Kebbi and Zamfara States in northwest Nigeria, which has been under serious terrorist attacks.

In the last four months, bandits have entered into ceasefire deals with communities in the state. Ironically, the bandits failed to keep to their side of the bargain after collecting huge sums of money from the communities.