Farmers in Kaduna pay bandits N400m to enter their fields and harvest their harvests.

In the Birnin-Gwari neighbourhood of Kaduna, farmers must now pay bandits to get access to their properties and harvest their crops.

In more than two years, the farmers have given up around N400 million to prevent being killed or kidnapped.

At a news conference on Thursday, Zubairu Abdulra’uf, a representative of the Birnin Emirate in Kaduna State, Danmasani Birnin Gwari, stated that bandits seek pre-season and mid-season payments.

In addition to the accusations, Abdulra’uf, a former managing director of Kaduna State Media Corporation (KSMC), claimed that the bandits also order farmers to deliver two to ten bags of all the different crops they grow. According to him, this has been going on for three years.

Abdulra’uf cited Randegi, a region in the state, where robbers were stopped from attacking the farming community, as evidence that increased insecurity will lead people to arm themselves in an effort to safeguard their lives and property.

He disclosed that people have been kidnapped since the start of the rainy season, with their cattle collected as well.

“N200 million was paid to bandits in Randegi district alone. When you talk of Birni-Gwari Local Government as a whole, it’s between N300 million to N400 million paid to these bandits”, he said.

While narrating their ordeal, he explained that, “There are three stages of paying these types of taxes to these bandits. You have to pay pre-season and mid-season when the crops are about to start yeilding.

“You will pay these bandits because they will not allow you to have access to your farm. Then, at the end of the season when you are harvesting, you will give these bandits money before you access your farm.

“And when you access your farm after paying these taxes, they will now tell you that apart from giving them money, you will give a ratio of two bags to 10 bags of all the assorted grains.”

Abdulra’uf further stated, “For the past three years, this is what Birnin-Gwari people have been enduring and we are now in a state of hopelessness and frustration.

“When people are frustrated, they will now look for the best option for themselves which is to arm themselves if the government cannot protect them.

“We are living in a situation where people can no longer work or even travel one kilometre from Birni Gwari town to other areas and it’s the same thing that we have in all the districts in Birnin Gwari.

“If something is not done, we are going to have a food crisis. Birnin-Gwari used to produce at least 700 metric tonnes of assorted grains but now people cannot access their farms.

“There are many cases since the beginning of this rainy season, that people are being abducted on their way to the farm and even the cattle they use for farming are being collected from them.” he said.