Bandits collect beer as levy from Taraba farmers before harvest

Bandits have resorted to collecting beer as levies from farmers before allowing them to harvest crops in the Ardo-Kola local government area of Taraba State, reports Daily Trust.

A senior civil servant, who preferred anonymity, narrated his experience in Jalingo.

He told Daily Trust that he was compelled to buy beer worth over N200,000 before he was allowed to harvest his Benniseed farm.

He said the levy imposed by the bandits ranges from N20,000 to N100,000 depending on the size of the farm.

“I paid with beer worth N200,000 before getting access to my farm,” he said.

The farming communities where the levy was imposed by the bandits include Baka, Kasakuru, Majowere, Digun, Nyapori, Buzi, Dare, and Sakala.

A resident in the local government area, Mallam Dantala Bello told Daily Trust that farmers have become used to paying the levy to the bandits before harvest.

“Some abandon their farms if they are levied too much and project that they can’t recover the amount after harvest,” he said.

Another source in the area said the bandits were working with informants to get information on people coming to harvest their farms in the area.

“Most of the farmers that farm in Baka, Kwando, and other areas reside in Jalingo and whenever they come to work on their farms, the informants alert the bandits and quickly come down from the mountains to surround the innocent farmers,” he said.

Daily Trust