Nigeria

Bandits reportedly impose N1m levy on Katsina village to avoid attack

Monday, February 24, 2020 at 8:56 AM by Kess Ewubare

- Reports have emerged that residents of Akata village in Katsina state have been asked by some bandits to pay N1million levy to avoid an imminent attack

- Sources familiar with the incident, say the villagers have started levying each community member N1,500 so as to meet up with the demand

- The confrontation with the attackers was said to have started after villagers arrested one bandit and handed him over to soldiers

Residents of Akata village in Batsari local government area of Katsina state have reportedly been asked by some bandits to pay the sum of N1million to escape an attack.

Daily Trust, citing sources familiar with the incident, reports that the villagers have started levying each community member N1,500 so as to meet up with the demand.

The confrontation with the attackers was said to have started about two weeks ago when bandits stormed the village and rustled some animals.

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But some villagers who chased after the attackers recovered the animals from one of the bandits and handed him over to soldiers.

In response, the bandits asked the villagers to raise N1million to evade an imminent attack.

However, following negotiations the amount was reportedly reduced to N700,000 and subsequently spread across the residents, a source said.

When contacted over the issue, the spokesperson for the Katsina state police command said the police were investigating the issue.

Meanwhile, Istifanus Gyang, the senator representing Plateau North has described the bill seeking to create an agency for repentant Boko Haram terrorists is as an insult to Nigerians.

Senator Gyang in a statement in Jos on Sunday, February 23, condemned and dissociated himself from the bill, The Guardian reports

He said the bill was an assault on the sensibility of Nigerians in view of the fact that most victims and communities affected by insurgency, banditry and other violent attacks have not gotten the needed support from the government.

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The real reason bandits killed over 30, attacked villages in Katsina - Governor Masari

Residents of Akata village in Batsari local government area of Katsina state have reportedly been asked by some bandits to pay N1million levy to escape an attack. Community members have started levying each to meet the demand.

Gyang faulted the situation where care and attention for terrorists take precedence over and above that of their victims.

He said the bill had negative implications for the security of the country and called on the Senate to reject it.

In another report, as Nigeria continues to grapple with security, Catholics acros the country have decided to don black attires on Ash Wednesday.

This move is a sign of mourning and solidarity with the victims of kidnapping and other violent crimes in the country.

Premium Times reports that the Catholics Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) released a statement which will be read at masses across Catholic churches on Wednesday, February 26.