Jun 14, 2026

Bandits Impose ₦20 Million Levy on Katsina Residents

By Afolabi Olaiya Idowu in news

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Katsina, Nigeria – June 14, 2026— Residents of Kwandawa community in Malumfashi Local Government Area of Katsina State are living in fear after armed bandits invaded their village on Saturday night and imposed a ₦20 million levy, threatening to displace them if the payment is not made.

According to security analyst and conflict reporter Bakatsine, the bandits linked the demand to the recent killing of one of their members in the area.

They warned that the community must raise the money or face forced expulsion from the village. The attackers went house-to-house, looting valuables and stealing bridal gifts along with personal belongings of newly married women. The raid also extended to the neighbouring villages of Tsaruka and Maturi, where residents were similarly stripped of their possessions.

This latest incident adds to the growing pattern of bandit groups in Northwest Nigeria imposing parallel “taxes” and levies on rural communities, effectively creating a system of extortion under the threat of violence.

Katsina State has been one of the epicentres of banditry and kidnapping in Nigeria for years.

Similar levies have been reported in other parts of the state, with bandits demanding millions of naira from communities in exchange for “protection,” access to farmlands, or simply to avoid attacks.

The imposition of such levies highlights the extent to which non-state armed groups have established parallel authority in parts of the Northwest, filling the vacuum left by weak state presence in remote communities.

As of Sunday evening, there was no official statement from the Katsina State Government, the police, or the military regarding the incident.

Residents and local sources expressed frustration over what they described as the authorities’ continued silence in the face of escalating threats.

Security experts have repeatedly warned that without a sustained, coordinated ground offensive and improved intelligence, such extortion rackets will continue to thrive, further impoverishing already vulnerable rural populations.

The ₦20 million demand represents a crushing burden for a rural farming community. Failure to pay could lead to mass displacement, loss of livelihoods, and increased vulnerability to further attacks.

The looting of bridal gifts and personal items has also caused deep emotional distress among families.

This development comes amid broader national concerns over rising insecurity, with similar incidents reported across other states in the Northwest and North-Central regions.

Residents of the affected communities are now reportedly scrambling to raise the funds amid heightened tension, while calls for urgent government intervention continue to grow.

The situation underscores the urgent need for a more robust security strategy that combines kinetic operations with community protection and economic empowerment to break the cycle of bandit extortion in the region.