Bandits have reportedly demanded ₦40 million from farmers across several communities in Bena, Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State before allowing them access to farmlands for this year’s farming season.
Security expert Bakatsine raised the alarm on X on Saturday, stating that the development has heightened fears over rural insecurity and its growing threat to agricultural production and food security in the northern region.
“If farmers must pay bandits before cultivating their land, who truly controls these communities?” Bakatsine wrote.
Extortion Threatens Planting Season
Sources in Danko/Wasagu LGA said the bandits, who have maintained camps in surrounding forests, warned farmers not to access their farms without paying the levies. The demand comes as rains intensify across Kebbi and farmers prepare to begin planting millet, sorghum, rice and maize – the state’s main food and cash crops.
Kebbi is one of Nigeria’s major rice-producing states and contributes significantly to national food security. Any disruption to farming activities in the state during the current rainy season could worsen food shortages and drive up prices nationwide.
Pattern Of Rural Banditry
The reported extortion in Bena mirrors similar incidents recorded in parts of Zamfara, Sokoto, Niger and Katsina states, where armed groups have imposed “protection taxes” on farmers and rural communities. Security analysts say such levies undermine government control and threaten Nigeria’s agricultural output.
Danko/Wasagu LGA shares boundaries with Niger State and has been repeatedly listed among Kebbi’s LGAs vulnerable to banditry and cattle rustling. The area’s forests and rugged terrain have provided cover for armed groups operating across the northwestern region.
Food Security Implications
Agriculture remains the mainstay of rural communities in Kebbi, with over 70% of households dependent on farming for livelihood. The demand for ₦40 million from multiple communities raises concerns that many smallholder farmers, who lack resources to pay, may abandon their farms, further threatening food production.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation, FAO, has consistently warned that insecurity in Nigeria’s food-producing belts is a major driver of rising food inflation and hunger. Kebbi’s contribution to Nigeria’s rice value chain makes the state critical to federal efforts to achieve food self-sufficiency.
Calls For Government Action
Bakatsine’s post has triggered reactions on social media, with residents and observers calling on security agencies and the Kebbi State Government to intervene urgently to secure farmlands and restore order ahead of peak planting.
As of press time, officials of the Kebbi State Government and the Nigerian Police Command in the state had not issued statements on the reported extortion.
The Nigerian Army and Operation FANSAN YAMMA have maintained operations against bandits in the northwest, but rural communities continue to report attacks and levies.
The development underscores growing fears that bandits are extending control over rural economies, shifting from kidnapping to direct taxation of farmers – a trend security experts warn could deepen poverty and hunger in affected regions.
If farmers must pay bandits before cultivating their land, Bakatsine asked, “who truly controls these communities?”
Bandits Demand ₦40m ‘Farming Levy’ From Kebbi Farmers
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