Residents of Kwaren Ganuwa and surrounding villages in Tsafe Local Government Area, Zamfara State, have raised fresh alarm over a surge in killings, abductions, and forced taxation allegedly carried out by bandits linked to notorious warlord Ado Aleru.
Voice of the People (VOP NG) reports that the bandits have tightened their grip on dozens of communities, blocking farmers from accessing their lands and imposing crippling levies on already impoverished villagers. Those attempting to go to farms or move between nearby villages reportedly risk being killed or kidnapped, forcing many families to flee in fear.
According to multiple sources, Aleru’s top lieutenants — Alti, Abu Boss, and Isah — are now responsible for collecting what villagers describe as “taxes for survival.”
Some of the levies imposed include:
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Bawa Ganga: ₦20 million
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Gwanja and Gidan Isuhu: ₦4 million each
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Matseri: ₦3.5 million
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Other villages, including Kauyen Jatau, Yar Giwa, Musawar Kalgo, Musawar Dunu, Gidan Barga, Dan Gulbi, Gidan Uda, Ruguza, Katsage, Mai Rai-Rai, Gidan Sakau, Warawar Dan Gurji, Kan Biri, Gidan Gizau, Warawar Nabu, and Marke Babba, were reportedly charged between ₦1 million and ₦2 million each.
“They kill or abduct anyone who goes to the farm. We are living in fear,” a Kwaren Ganuwa resident told VOP NG.
“If you don’t pay what they demand, they will come and attack the entire village.”
The escalating extortion has worsened the security crisis in Tsafe LGA, one of Zamfara’s most terrorised regions in the ongoing epidemic of rural banditry. Despite repeated military operations and assurances from state and federal authorities, villagers report that attacks continue unabated, with security forces often failing to respond to distress calls.
Community leaders are now appealing to the Zamfara State government and security agencies to intervene before more lives are lost, warning that prolonged inaction could lead to entire communities being abandoned or wiped out.
“The government needs to act now. People are suffering, and we have nowhere else to go,” a local leader said.
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