Communities in Giwa Local Government area of Kaduna State have petitioned the local government chairman over the relentless attacks by bandits in their region.
The farmers are being forced to pay levies to the bandits before they are allowed to engage in farming activities this season. This alarming situation has prompted the Kaya Descendants Community Development Association to seek urgent intervention.
In a letter dated May 28, 2024, the association's chairman, Alhaji Ibrahim Balarabe Musa, outlined the grave challenges facing the villagers. The letter states that farmers are required to pay a "tax" to the bandits before they can access their farmlands. Even after making these payments, the farmers are still being chased away, harassed, and even kidnapped.
The situation worsens during the harvest season, as the bandits brazenly burn the crops without remorse, leaving the farmers and their families in a state of despair.
"Our families are facing dangerous distractions in the course of daily activities in the area, our children are not going to schools for fear of being kidnapped," the letter reads.
The Kaya Descendants Community Development Association has pleaded with the Giwa Local Government chairman, as well as state and national authorities, to investigate the matter and put an end to the incessant harassment and attacks on their community.