Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Residents of Garin Lamido and Yan Shuni communities in the Bakori Local Government Area of Katsina State have been thrown into a state of profound fear and uncertainty after a notorious bandit kingpin imposed a fresh levy of ₦10 million on each village, despite the existence of peace agreements brokered just months ago. The joint demand, which totals ₦20 million, was issued by fighters loyal to Isiya Kwashen Garwa, a wanted terrorist whose name is synonymous with a reign of terror across the North-West.
This latest wave of extortion was brought to public attention by Bakastine, a respected security analyst and crisis journalist, who posted the alert on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle. According to Bakastine, the re‑imposition of these levies has sparked widespread panic, exposing the glaring weaknesses in the enforcement of earlier truces that were thought to have brought a measure of calm to the area. The communities, already grappling with economic hardship and insecurity, now face an impossible choice: pay the hefty sums or risk violent reprisals from the armed group.
The development comes just months after multiple rounds of dialogue between local authorities, community leaders, and representatives of the armed group. Those meetings had reportedly culminated in ‘peace agreements’ that were supposed to restore normalcy, allow farmers to return to their fields, and end the constant threat of bandits on motorcycles. However, the latest demand has exposed the fragility of such negotiated settlements, which many residents now describe as little more than a temporary pause in a brutal cycle of intimidation.
“Such arrangements, often referred to locally as ‘peace deals,’ have failed to provide lasting security, instead creating a cycle of intimidation and forced compliance,” one source familiar with the situation told Daily Post. A resident, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of being targeted, confirmed that the situation was dire. “We have seen soldiers and police come, but the bandits still roam the forests,” the resident said, losing hope in the absence of a permanent security solution. Many families, terrified that an attack could come at any moment, have already begun abandoning their homes, fleeing to relatives in more fortified towns like Funtua or even across state lines.
The payment of levies to armed groups has become a dangerous pattern in the rural fringes of Katsina State. In separate incidents, bandits have also placed heavy taxes on farming communities in Faskari and Bakori LGAs, demanding millions in exchange for allowing farmers to access their land during the wet season. This has raised a terrifying prospect: the possibility of a food crisis as farmers are forced to abandon their harvests.
Security analysts have warned that the continued capitulation to these extortionate demands could further embolden the criminals, effectively giving them economic and administrative control over vulnerable communities. “If these demands are not checked, criminal groups could extend their influence into more rural settlements,” an analyst warned.
As night falls over Garin Lamido and Yan Shuni, the residents wait anxiously. The Katsina State Government and the Police Command are yet to issue a formal statement on the latest levy, while the military’s ongoing ‘Operation Fansan Yamma’ continues its clearance operations in the vast forests that serve as sanctuaries for the bandits. For the families living on the front line, however, the political rhetoric means little. “We need boots on the ground, not just press releases,” a community elder lamented. “We want to stay in our homes. We want to send our children to school. But who will protect us tonight?”
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