• Southern Taraba Catholic leaders, Tiv youths lament renewed violence
• Zamfara, Sokoto farmers decry ‘harvest taxes’ by hoodlums, urge federal help

End to the banditry around Shanono communities in Shanono Local Council of Kano State may not yet be in sight, as five nursing mothers were reportedly kidnapped by hoodlums on Sunday night.

The fresh attack occurred barely a week after troops of 3 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Kano, successfully repelled a deadly invasion in which 19 members of the criminal gang were neutralised.

It was gathered that one of the women narrowly escaped. However, a source revealed that the hoodlums had disposed of the babies before taking the kidnapped nursing mothers to an undisclosed destination.

Reliving the incident, a community leader in Faruruwa village, Shanono, Yahya Bagobiri, told journalists yesterday that the latest incursion left five women missing and many livestock carted away.

He expressed concern over the persistent attacks by bandits in the Fulani-dominated areas despite the heavy deployment of military personnel and other security agencies, describing the situation “as getting out of hand.”

Bagobiri lamented that the bandits, riding on motorcycles, stormed Yan Kwada village in Faruruwa community on Sunday night, dispossessing villagers of their belongings and leaving them in palpable fear.

The community leader said the ugly development has forced residents to flee for safety, leaving the village deserted. He further noted that, despite the presence of the military and other security agencies in the area for the past three weeks, the communities continue to experience daily attacks and loss of livestock. Efforts to reach the military spokesperson, Captain Babatunde Zubairu, for comments were unsuccessful.

IN a similar vein, Catholic priests and community groups in Southern Taraba have raised the alarm over renewed waves of violence and killings allegedly perpetrated by armed herdsmen across several communities under the Catholic Diocese of Wukari.

Speaking yesterday in Jalingo, Director of Social Communications for the diocese, Rev. Fr. John Laikel, described the situation as “devastating,” revealing that several rural parishes have been abandoned following sustained assaults that have claimed multiple lives and destroyed entire villages.

He alleged that the attackers not only kill and burn down homes, but also graze their cattle on victims’ farmlands and, in some cases, occupy the deserted settlements.

Laikel called on the federal, state and local authorities to “wake up to their constitutional responsibilities” of protecting lives and property, noting that some of the affected areas lie close to military operational bases in Takum Local Council of the state.

Similarly, the Parish Priest of Holy Family Catholic Church, Takum, Rev. Fr. George Dogo, expressed frustration over what he described as the “indifference” of security operatives despite repeated warnings about impending attacks.

The Taraba Tiv Youth Development Forum, on its part, urged Governor Agbu Kefas to deploy additional security personnel to the Chanchanji Ward of Takum local council to prevent further bloodshed.

In a joint statement signed by the forum’s President, Torkuma Lupet Moses, and Secretary, Uko Moses Wuaga, the group condemned the renewed attacks on Tiv farming communities, reporting that over 1,000 families had been displaced and properties worth millions of Naira destroyed since violence resumed last week.

It further appealed to the Federal Government and international partners to classify Taraba as a priority state under the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) to curb recurring herder-farmer conflicts.

ALSO, farmers in parts of Zamfara and Sokoto states have decried levies and intimidation by bandits, who now give them conditions for this year’s harvest season.

They lamented that despite heavy rainfalls in the area in recent years, the terrorists have turned farmlands into battlegrounds, leaving them in perpetual fear, as the bandits’ activities threaten food supply across Northern Nigeria.

Several villagers from the axis said the bandits have imposed what they described as “harvest taxes,” demanding payment in cash or crops before farmers are allowed to reap what they planted.

According to the communities, in some cases, the terrorists allegedly collect levies at checkpoints and punish those who cannot fulfil their demands.

“We are living under a parallel authority,” lamented a farmer from the Tsafe council area of Zamfara State, who did not want his name in print for security reasons.

The bandits have forced many farmers to abandon their farmlands, even as crops are ready for harvest. Also, reports from Isa, Sabon Birni, and Goronyo areas of Sokoto State revealed similar issues, with communities deserted, farmlands overgrown, and markets facing shortages, leading to high food prices.

The residents, farmer associations and local leaders appealed to the Federal Government to intervene and secure rural areas before harvest losses deepen the hunger crisis already biting millions.

“Without protection, our efforts are wasted. We may face famine despite having good rains,” said another farmer from Bakura in Zamfara State.