Residents of Bakale village in Kilgori district, in Yabo Local Government Area of Sokoto State, have been ordered to pay a N20 million levy to prevent deadly attacks.

In an audio recording obtained by our reporter, the leader of the armed group instructed the village head to convene a meeting with residents and communicate the demand.

The recording captured the bandit questioning the traditional ruler about an earlier directive.

“Did you meet with them? Did they agree to obey your command?” he asked.

After the village head responded in the affirmative, the bandit ordered him to summon the residents again and inform them of the fresh N20 million levy.

“We don’t want to attack you. That is why we decided to impose this levy,” the bandit said. “If you pay, I promise you will continue to live in peace. We will not allow any group to attack your community or kidnap your people. But if you fail to pay, we will attack you, kill you, and abduct your people. This is our message.”

A community leader, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that similar levies had been enforced on several neighbouring settlements.

The affected villages spanning Kilgori and Torankawa districts—include Bazar, Alkalije, Gari, Bakale, Dagel, Adarawa, Kwaidaza, Kilgori Runji, Tudu, Tile, Kibiyare, and Barmadu, among others.

According to the source, the levies range from N3 million to N20 million, depending on the size of each community.

He added that six people were killed in Alkalije and four in Tile during separate attacks two weeks ago.

Efforts to obtain a response from the Sokoto State Police Command were unsuccessful as the command’s spokesperson, DSP Ahmad Rufa’i, did not respond to multiple calls by our reporter. (Daily Trust)