Bandit Leader, Bello Turji, Places N50million Levy To Allow Farming In Zamfara Communities
Bandit leader, Bello Turji, has reportedly placed a N50 million ‘farming tax’ on some communities in Zamfara State before allowing residents to cultivate their farmlands this rainy season.
According to security analyst Dan Bakatsine who shared the development on his X handle on Monday night, the affected communities span from Tsalaken Gulbi in Fakai village, under Shinkafi Local Government Area of Zamfara, extending to Qaya, a village close to Niger Republic border, with the bandit leader warning that any farmer who failed to pay the tax will be killed along with his family.
According to the security expert, Turji reportedly warned that failure to comply with his demand would result in violent attacks on any farmer found on their land.
“Bandit leader Bello Turji is reportedly demanding 50 million from residents of Tsalaken Gulbi from Fakai village, Shinkafi LGA, Zamfara State, up to Qaya near the Niger border, just to let them farm this season,” Dan Bakatsine wrote.
“The farmers can only go to their farms in peace after paying a total of N50 million,” Bakatsine said, quoting the bandit leader.
He added that it had become almost tradition for farmers around troubled areas in the North to pay safety taxes to bandits before farming and during harvest.
