Residents of Kwandawa community in Malumfashi Local Government Area of Katsina State have reportedly been ordered by bandits to pay a ₦20 million levy or risk being forced out of their homes.
The threat, which has heightened fears over the worsening security crisis in the State, was disclosed on Sunday by security analyst and reporter, Bakatsine.
According to him, the armed men invaded Kwandawa on Saturday night and imposed the levy after one of their members was reportedly killed in the area.
“Last night, bandits reportedly imposed a ₦20 million levy on residents of Kwandawa community in Malumfashi LGA of Katsina State, warning that the community must pay if they wished to remain in the village,” Bakatsine said.
“The demand was reportedly linked to the killing of a bandit in the area.”
Bakatsine further alleged that the attackers went from house to house, carting away bridal gifts and other household items belonging to newly married women.
He added that the bandits later moved to the neighbouring communities of Tsaraka and Maturi, where similar incidents were reported, with newlywed couples allegedly stripped of their belongings.
“As rural communities continue to face intimidation, displacement and economic hardship, one painful question remains: how much longer must innocent civilians bear the burden of this conflict?” he said.
Efforts to obtain an official response from the Katsina State Police Command were unsuccessful. The Command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP Abubakar Sodiq Aliyu, neither answered calls nor replied to a text message sent to him as of the time this report was filed.
The latest incident underscores the growing pattern of terrorist groups imposing illegal levies on rural communities across northern Nigeria, where residents continue to grapple with extortion, kidnappings and deadly attacks.
Katsina State, the home state of former President Muhammadu Buhari, remains one of the regions hardest hit by banditry despite repeated military operations aimed at dismantling criminal networks operating across the area.
