About four persons have been killed, including a traditional ruler, and 100 others abducted from 14 communities in Mashegu and Rafi local government areas of Niger State in the last three weeks.
Half of abductees were reportedly taken hostage while working on their farms, according to reports.
The communities attacked in Mashegu included Sabon-Rijiya, Tsohon-Rami, Bakwai-Bakwai, Mulo, Kawo-Mulo, Nasarawa-Mulo, Mai-Azara, Foje, Mutun-Daya, Beji, Gidan-Malam, Bokuta, Chetaku and Gbazhi, forcing residents to flee to Ibbi town and other safer places in the local government area.
In Rafi and part of Shiroro local governments, 61 farmers were reportedly kidnapped in Gidigori, Pandogari and Durumi communities in the last two weeks.
This is coming after bandits had imposed N3 million tax on each of the communities as a condition to stop kidnapping them and allow them to harvest their farm produce, only one of the communities had been able to pay.
One of them, identified as Mohammed Sanusi, told newsmen that one of the vigilantes he simply identified as Abubakar was shot dead after he was abducted alongside other villagers on Thursday when bandits attacked Mulo and adjoining communities during which the village head of Mulo, Alhaji Usman Garba, was also killed.
“Attacks have been going on for the past three weeks in villages in Mashegu Local Government. Right now, over 50 people are in the hands of bandits. One vigilante was killed in Tsohon-Rami on Sunday. He was kidnapped alongside other people in Mulo and other communities on Thursday and he was shot dead. Another vigilante was also killed on his farm in Tsohon-Rami recently. They met him harvesting his crops on his farm and they killed him with a cutlass. Right now, we cannot harvest our crops. Maize, guinea corn, beans and soya beans are getting spoiled on our farms,” he said.
Another resident, Abdulrahman Inuwa, said that residents of Fage and Mulo have all fled their homes.
“They ask villages to pay N3 million tax each; it is Nasarawa Mulo that has been able to pay the tax imposed on communities. One of the three people abducted in Mulo was released and he was asked to go back home and look for money to secure the release of the remaining people. On Sunday, another boy was abducted in Fage village but he was released when he told them that he was from Nasarawa Mulo that had paid their tax. So, they released him, saying that residents of Nasarawa Mulo have settled them.
“Nobody goes to harvest his crops now. Who will go and get kidnapped? You are not with your farm produce and you get kidnapped again. Where do you get money to pay the ransom? What we are left with now is prayers. The situation has not improved in our area. How will it improve when we don’t have conventional security in our area? Up till now, four village heads are in their captivity. It is only the police in Mashegu that do go on patrol and they are not more than 10 in number with only one vehicle and the vehicle is not even in a good condition,” he added.
In in Rafi and Shiroro local government areas, residents said the attackers had also returned since the beginning of harvesting season, stopping them from harvesting their crops.
A farmer who is currently an internally displaced person in Kagara, the headquarters of Rafi Local Government, Ismaila Aliyu, said, “We see them almost every day.”
He added, “In the last two weeks, 15 people were kidnapped in Gidigori; 6 people were kidnapped in Pandogari last week. About 40 people were kidnapped at Durumi. Also, Kusherki, Madaka, Hanna-Wanka, Kukkoki, Hannah-Wanka, Durumi, Kambari, Kalaibo, Allawa axes and Madaka people have not been able to harvest their crops because Rafi and Shiroro local governments are not safe.”
