“Pay Our N20m Demand or Be Killed," Bandits Issue Fresh Warning to Northern Community
- Residents of Bakale village were thrown into panic after armed groups demanded a N20 million levy to prevent an attack.
- Several communities across Kilgori and Torankawa districts were reported to have received similar threats, with levies ranging from N3 million to N20 million.
- At least ten villagers were confirmed killed in earlier attacks on Alkalije and Tile, heightening fears of renewed violence
Residents of Bakale village in Kilgori district of Yabo Local Government Area, Sokoto State, are living in fear after an armed group issued a threat demanding a twenty-million-naira levy to avert an attack.
The warning was delivered through an audio message, reported by Daily Trust, in which the group’s leader directed the village head to relay the order to all residents.
He questioned the traditional ruler about an earlier message and then instructed him to summon the community again. The voice in the recording claimed the levy was meant to prevent violence.
Bandits issue fresh threat to villagers
The bandit stated that the group wanted to avoid bloodshed and said the community would remain safe if the payment was made. He warned that refusal would lead to killings and abductions.
A senior community member confirmed that the threat was not unique to Bakale. He said several villages across Kilgori and Torankawa districts had received similar demands ranging from three million to twenty million naira.
According to him, Bazar, Alkalije, Gari, Dagel, Adarawa, Tudu and several others had been listed by the armed groups. He disclosed that ten people were killed in recent attacks on Alkalije and Tile.
Attempts to get a reaction from the Sokoto State Police Command were unsuccessful as calls to the command’s spokesperson, DSP Ahmad Rufa’i, went unanswered.
“Is Nigeria cursed, or are we the curse?”: Obi
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Peter Obi has issued one of his strongest public condemnations of Nigeria’s security and governance situation, warning that the country is sinking into a cycle of avoidable tragedies caused by leadership failure.
The former presidential candidate said the events of the past 10 days should alarm any nation whose institutions still retain a sense of responsibility. He described the period as a stretch marked by chaos, grief and a collapse of public confidence.
Source: Twitter
Obi released his concerns on Sunday, November 23, through a detailed statement that catalogued a string of violent incidents across different states.
He questioned why a country with abundant talent and resilience continues to drift into deeper insecurity. He also posed a blunt question to the political class.
“Is Nigeria cursed, or are we the curse?” he wrote.
Obi laments growing wave of violent incidents
In his review of recent events, Obi listed high risk kidnappings, attacks on civilians, political disruptions and troubling conduct within state institutions.
The record began with the abduction of six senior directors from the Ministry of Defence along the Kogi axis on November 11. Four days later, a Brigadier General was killed in what he described as a chilling sign of the danger facing even highly ranked personnel.
Obi said the cycle worsened on November 16 when 64 civilians, including women and children, were taken in Zamfara. The following day, 25 schoolgirls were abducted in Kebbi and their Vice Principal was murdered.
Source: Original
Obi raises concerns over institutional decline
He also referenced the attack on worshippers in Kwara on November 18 where lives were lost and 38 people were taken away. On the same day, he condemned the crisis at the PDP Wadata Plaza headquarters.
He said security operatives heightened tensions instead of containing them. He argued that the government appeared to allow the situation to degenerate.
Obi noted his disapproval of scenes from the All Nigeria Judges Conference where some judges stood while a partisan song was played ahead of the president’s arrival.
He said the incident weakened public trust in institutions expected to act above politics.
APC chieftain killed in cold blood
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that a senior member of the All Progressives Congress in Zamfara state, Honourable Umar Sarkin Fada Moriki, was shot dead by unknown assailants in the early hours of Saturday, November 1.
He was attacked near Fegi village, close to Gidan Dawa in Tsafe Local Government Area, while travelling from Gusau to Kaduna.
Source: Legit.ng
