How Bandits Impose Levies, Run Parallel Govt In Zamfara, Sokoto

What began as sporadic attacks on agrarian communities in Zamfara and Sokoto States has morphed into full-blown occupation, as armed groups have institutionalised a parallel tax regime that is crippling farming and stoking food inflation in the North-west.

Investigations by LEADERSHIP in the two states showed that bandits now operate three distinct levy regimes – pre-farming levy, harvest tax and protection levy – a development that has forced many farmers to abandon their farmlands.

N4m – N6m Per Village In Sabon Birni

In June 2026, armed groups imposed fresh levies on at least 26 communities in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

The affected communities include Zululu, Garin Faji, Cinnah Barka, Dan Gari, Garin Idi, Garin Maigayya, Gardi, Katsira, Garin Baushe, Sulmawa, Zakin Ganga and Kaifin Aska, among others.

A resident of Garin Faji, Zayyanu Biri, told LEADERSHIP that each community was asked to pay between N4 million and N6 million before being allowed to access their farmlands. He said households contribute between N1,500 and N2,000 each, while large-scale farmers pay up to N5,000.

According to him, the bandits issued a three-day ultimatum, warning that anyone found on the farm without payment risked summary execution or abduction.

A village head in Tsamaye, Isiyaka Dangaladima, said for about four years, farmers in hamlets under his authority had been paying levies to a bandit leader identified as Yar Daribiyar, yet they were still attacked.

He said, “While working in their fields, armed groups often carry out sporadic raids for ransom kidnappings and, at times, brutal killings. Many farmers from Garsaku, Samgu, Malamawa and Gidan Na Birni were either kidnapped or killed while farming, even after paying.”

Another farmer, Muhammadu Dadi, said, “Our farms have become their farms. We became labourers on land we once owned.”

N50 million Levy After Attack On Soldiers In Dansadau

In Dansadau District, Maru LGA of Zamfara State, bandits led by one Dankarami Gwaska reportedly imposed a N50 million levy on Bindin community and its neighbours following an attack on a military base in the area.

Residents said about N360 million was extorted within two weeks of the attack, which left houses and shops burnt.

In Tsafe LGA, the pattern is slightly different. Communities pay between N5 million and N20 million as harvest tax before they are allowed to harvest their crops. Even after payment, the bandits release cattle to destroy the crops.

Camps, Commanders And Lost Farms

Security sources and local accounts indicate that Zamfara alone hosts over 30,000 bandits in more than 100 camps located in the forest belts of Shinkafi, Zurmi, Sububu, Dansadau, Tsafe, Anka and Bukkuyum.

In Sokoto, the camps, which are linked to the Zamfara network, operate from the Sabon Birni, Isa and Goronyo axis.

Commanders still active in the zone include Bello Turji (Shinkafi/Zurmi), Dogo Gide (Sububu Forest), Dankarami Gwaska (Anka/Maru) and Halilu Sububu.

An emerging trend since 2022, LEADERSHIP gathered, is that bandits now own farms. Residents in Anka LGA said more farming is currently done by bandits than by locals, as communities are forced to provide labour on bandits’ farms before working on theirs.

The Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) in Zamfara said the state is losing about N43 billion in farming revenue annually, with a projected 50 per cent drop in rice production this season.

The development has worsened food insecurity. According to the Cadre Harmonise report of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), about three million people in the North-west are critically food insecure, a figure that rose to 4.3 million in the first quarter of 2025.

Analysts also link the levies to rising food prices. Checks showed that transporters moving foodstuffs now pay between N5,000 and N50,000 per trip as “transport premium”, adding 20 to 30 per cent to retail prices.