Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A fresh wave of terror has swept through Matazu Local Government Area of Katsina State as armed bandits have reportedly imposed a N10 million levy on each of seven villages, further tightening the grip of extortion on already impoverished farming communities. The affected villages are Bauraji, Saba Sara, Doka, Layin Marayu, Gangule, Karachi and Raddawa, all located within the volatile local government area that has witnessed repeated attacks, kidnappings and killings in recent months. According to residents who spoke to Stone Reporters News on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, the ultimatum was delivered by couriers of the bandits who warned that failure to pay the levy would result in deadly consequences, including further raids, abductions and the destruction of crops and homes.
The demand comes at a time when many families in these agrarian communities are already struggling to survive. With inflation at record highs and the farming season in full swing, residents say they can barely afford basic daily needs such as food, water and healthcare, let alone raise a collective N10 million per village. “We are farmers. Our harvests have been destroyed in successive attacks. Many of us have lost relatives. Now they want money we do not have,” a resident of Doka village said in a hushed voice. Another resident of Saba Sara added, “The government is silent. Our local leaders have abandoned us. We are left to face these killers alone.” The accusations against political representatives at ward and local government levels have grown louder, with villagers accusing them of ignoring repeated pleas for help while continuing to collect salaries and allowances.
The imposition of levies on rural communities is not a new tactic in the North‑West region. Criminal gangs, often styling themselves as “bandits,” have for years extorted “taxes” from villages in exchange for so‑called protection or safe passage to farms and markets. However, the scale of the latest demand — N10 million per village — is staggering for communities whose total annual income may not reach a fraction of that sum. Security analyst Bakatsine, a well‑known counter‑insurgency expert, has tracked similar levies imposed by bandit kingpins such as Isiya Kwashen Garwa and Dankarami in neighbouring Bakori and Faskari LGAs. In those cases, villagers who failed to pay were subjected to mass abductions, with victims held for months while families struggled to raise ransoms. In some instances, those who resisted were killed and their homes burned.
The Matazu LGA axis has been a hotspot of violence for months. In April 2026, bandits killed 11 residents in the villages of Jeka da Kolo and Kwalgoro in a reprisal attack following a military operation. In early May, armed men abducted an unspecified number of travellers along the Jikamshi‑Funtua road, which passes through Matazu. The police and military have occasionally launched clearance operations, but residents say the bandits often flee into the vast Rugu Forest, which straddles Katsina, Zamfara and Kaduna states, only to return when the pressure eases. This cycle of attack, extortion and retreat has left communities trapped in a state of perpetual fear.
The silence of political representatives has become a particularly bitter grievance. Community leaders pointed out that councillors, ward heads and even local government officials have not visited the affected villages to express solidarity or to coordinate any form of defence or relief. “The chairman of Matazu LGA has not addressed us. The district head has not come. We are nobody’s priority,” a woman from Gangule village lamented. The accusation is especially damaging because it suggests that the state’s traditional and political structures are either complicit or powerless, a perception that the Katsina State Government has struggled to counter despite repeated claims of progress in the fight against banditry.
The economic impact of the insecurity is already visible. Many farmers have abandoned their fields, fearing ambush as they plant or harvest. The planting season, which normally peaks in May and June, has been severely disrupted, raising the prospect of food shortages later in the year. Markets in Matazu and surrounding towns have seen fewer customers, and traders complain that goods are rotting because villagers are too scared to travel. The levy demand will only exacerbate the misery, as families are forced to choose between paying ransom and going hungry.
The Katsina State Police Command has not issued an official statement on the levy demand, but a senior officer who spoke on condition of anonymity said the command was aware of the situation and had increased patrols in the area. “We are working with the military to dominate the space. The criminals are feeling the heat, which is why they are squeezing the villages for money,” the officer said. However, residents remain sceptical. “They say they are working, but we see no results. The bandits still come and go as they please,” a resident of Layin Marayu said.
The state government, led by Governor Dikko Umaru Radda, has launched several initiatives to combat banditry, including the establishment of a community guard corps and the procurement of surveillance drones. The governor has also banned the sale of illicit drugs and blocked mining activities in certain areas, citing their link to criminal financing. Yet, the levy demand in Matazu suggests that the bandits have not only survived these measures but have adapted by intensifying extortion against the most vulnerable.
As the deadline for the N10 million payment approaches, the villages are in a state of paralysis. Some families have already begun sending their children away to relatives in safer towns. Others are praying for a miracle — or a military intervention. The question that echoes through Bauraji, Saba Sara, Doka, Layin Marayu, Gangule, Karachi and Raddawa is the same one that has been asked across rural Katsina for years: how long must we suffer before the government decides we are worth protecting? The answer, for now, remains as elusive as the bandits themselves.
📩 Stone Reporters News | 🌍 stonereportersnews.com
✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com | 📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters News | 🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew | 📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews
Add comment
Comments