Despite Receiving Millions In Protection Levies, Terrorists Raid Communities In North West Nigeria
In February this year, Rini and Birnin Tudun communities signed a peace deal with the terrorists, paying ₦10 million to Halilu Buzu, leader of the criminal gang in the area. A few months later, the communities would suffer deadly attacks from another group of terrorists.
Amid preparation for this year’s farming season following the start of rainfall, terrorists operating in Zamfara, North West Nigeria, are raiding agrarian communities to instil terror in farmers.
In the Bakura Local Government Area of the state, they attacked Rini and Birnin Tudu, both farming communities on Monday, May 27, killing five people and abducting several others. Farmers in the areas said the terrorist attack shocked them because they had earlier paid millions as protection levies to avoid such occurrences.
Terrorists in many parts of Zamfara force local communities to pay them millions for protection. They use these funds to sustain their operations, procuring heavy munitions after fleecing the helpless villagers. Most farming areas in the state fall victim to these illicit operations, especially when they are left with no options than paying the terrorists or losing access to their farm fields.
In February this year, Rini and Birnin Tudun communities signed a peace deal with the terrorists, paying ₦10 million to Halilu Buzu, leader of the criminal gang in the area. A few months later, the communities would suffer deadly attacks from another group of terrorists trying to expand their territory.
“The armed gang I saw were mostly young people between the ages of 19-35, carrying deadly weapons to kill and kidnap,” Mamman Galadima, a farmer in the Rini community recalled. The terrorists spent over an hour operating in Rini before moving to Birnin Tudun later in the afternoon where they abducted scores of villagers.
Speaking for Rini and Birnin Tudun, Garba Yalo, a community leader in the area, said he believed that it was a newly formed group of armed terrorists that crossed from a nearby forest to launch the attack.
Saidu Yarkofoji, the Sole Administrator of the Bakura local government council, said the Community Protection Guards, a regional security outfit in the state, have swung into action, combing the forests to rescue abducted villagers.
Yazid Abubakar, the Police Public Relations Officer in Zamfara, could not be reached by phone when HumAngle contacted him for comments.
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