Residents in northern Nigeria keep paying bandits amid military efforts

DDM News

Despite counterterrorism operations, retired generals say the military cannot stop residents from paying ransoms and levies to bandits.

Diaspora digital media (DDM) gathered Communities in troubled areas continue to comply with financial demands from criminal groups to avoid violent attacks and destruction.

Retired military officers doubt the ability of the armed forces to stop residents from paying, citing persistent fear of attacks.

Banditry has become an organized crime involving abductions, village raids, and extortion in many northern Nigerian communities.

Farming communities have been forced to pay large sums to various bandit groups to ensure their safety.

The levies range from N20 million to N200 million, depending on the bandit leader imposing the demand.

Bandits threaten to attack farms and homes if their financial demands are not met by the residents.

Affected states include Benue, Niger, Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, and Kaduna, where banditry remains a significant problem.

In July 2024, residents of the Toro community in Benue State were forced to pay a N20 million levy.

To raise the amount, villagers sold farm produce and contributed N50,000 each to avoid deadly reprisals.

In September 2024, villagers in Moriki town, Zamfara State, struggled to gather N30 million demanded by bandit kingpin Bello Turji.

Earlier in January 2025, another notorious bandit leader, Dantsito, threatened communities in Tsafe LGA, Zamfara State.

He demanded a N200 million levy and gave the villagers two weeks to pay.

Last week, Sokoto lawmaker Aminu Boza confirmed that Turji imposed a N25 million levy on Sabon Birni villages.

According to the Gobir Development Association, residents have collectively paid over N160 billion in levies and ransom.

The Defence Headquarters has urged residents not to succumb to bandits’ threats or financial extortion.

Despite this, many communities continue paying due to fear of violent attacks by armed groups.

Retired generals argue that deep-seated distrust in the military weakens resistance against bandit demands.

Gen. Ishola Williams (retd.) emphasized that residents would refuse to pay if they trusted the military.

“If they knew rejecting levies would lead to military intervention, they wouldn’t waste their money,” he stated.

Williams suggested that some community members secretly benefit from ransom payments made to bandits.

“This is why community policing is essential in securing these areas,” he added.

Brig. Gen. John Sura (retd.) argued that remote villages lack a consistent security presence.

He said residents struggle to follow military advice not to pay due to fear.

“If a stronger person threatens you with death, you have no choice but to comply,” he explained.

Sura noted that military deployments focus on local government headquarters and major roads.

Many affected villages are five to ten kilometers away from military bases.

“This distance makes it difficult for security forces to respond swiftly to attacks,” he stated.

Sura cited the Forest Guard initiative in Benue as a successful community-led defense model.

Similar resistance efforts in Bauchi State inflicted heavy losses on bandits, discouraging future attacks.

“Without such security measures, residents will keep paying to protect themselves,” he emphasized.

A retired general, speaking anonymously, blamed the military’s limited manpower for its shortcomings.

“The military tells people not to fear bandits, but they see these criminals every day,” he said.

He explained that Nigeria’s military is too small to maintain a presence in every vulnerable village.

“In Sokoto, where people are paying levies, the military only conducts occasional operations,” he noted.

Once the soldiers leave, bandits return to enforce their control over communities.

The retired officer pointed out that police presence is also minimal in many rural areas.

“Having a police station in a local government doesn’t mean officers are in every village,” he added.

Villagers constantly face harassment and attacks from criminals without reliable security.

“People obey those they see daily, not authorities who come and go,” he concluded.

This security crisis has forced communities to accept paying levies as a survival strategy.

Without a permanent military presence, residents see compliance as their best option.

The government continues to assure citizens of protection, but intervention remains inconsistent.

Many residents feel abandoned, leaving them with little confidence in security forces.

As long as bandits control these territories, communities will keep paying for survival.

Experts suggest military reinforcement, community-led security, and intelligence-driven operations as solutions.

A combination of these strategies may help break the cycle of extortion and fear.

For now,however, residents remain trapped between violent criminals and ineffective security responses.

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