Residents of about 26 communities in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State are raising funds to meet fresh demands imposed by armed groups, after being ordered to stay away from their farms ahead of the wet season.
Sources in the affected villages say the groups issued a three-day deadline, instructing farmers not to access their farmlands until payments were completed. The directive reportedly came with threats of attack on anyone who defied it.
Communities named include Garin Faji, Cina Barka, Zululu, Dan Gari, Garin Maigayya, Gardi, Katsira, Garin Baushe, Sulmawa, Zakin Ganga, Dan Kware, Garje, Dogon Faru, Son Allah, Garin Galadima, Kafchi, Matabaya, Garin Labo, Zango, Kaifin Aska, Tsauna Dogo, Tudun Wada, Rambadawa, Ga Itace, Nasarawa, and Garin Idi.
A resident familiar with the situation said farmers were warned that anyone caught working on their land within the period risked being killed or abducted, with ransom reportedly set for victims.
According to him, villagers have begun pooling money to comply with the demand, a pattern he said has repeated over several farming seasons.
Another resident from Zululu village said he was preparing to go to his farm when the restriction was announced. He described the demand as part of recurring levies imposed on farming communities, sometimes enforced during planting and again before harvest.
He added that local leaders, including traditional rulers and clerics, were expected to negotiate payment terms with the armed group on behalf of affected villages before farming activities could resume.
In Garin Idi, another source said tensions escalated when about 20 residents were abducted after delays in meeting earlier demands. He said the captors later requested payment before releasing the victims, which was eventually done. Five other residents, he added, remain in captivity.
He also said farmers in the area are sometimes required to surrender part of their harvest before storing crops, describing it as a recurring condition imposed after each farming season.
Police authorities in Sokoto State said they were not aware of the latest development, noting that such incidents are often not formally reported by affected communities.
The state government has not yet responded to requests for comment at the time of filing this report.
