No fewer than four communities in Maru Local Government Areas of Zamfara State have fled following the abduction of 110 people by bandits for refusing to pay N110 million monthly charge to notorious bandits kingpin Damina.
Our correspondent reports the bandits had on Friday night invaded the LGA where they abducted 110 people for refusing to settle N110 million levy imposed by the notorious bandits kingpin called Damana.
An resident, Ibrahim Mohammed, narrated that communities of Mutumji, Kwana, Mahuta and Unguwar kawo fled to Balele town for safety as the bandits leader Damana sent a warning letter that he would come back and abduct more people if the N110 million levy was not paid within one week.
Mohammed said, “We have to flee to other places due to the fear that, after abducting 110 people, the leader of the bandits, Damana sent a warning letter to us, that we must pay for the levy within a week or else he would send his men to come and abduct more people.”
He explained that the bandits kingpin directed each of the four communities to pay certain amount of money to make up the total sum of N110 million.
According to him, Mutumji village would pay N50m, kwana N30 million, Mahuta N20 million and Unguwar kawo would pay N10 million totalling the sum of N110 million.
According to Mohammed, the four villages were currently empty, stressing that, there were only animals and the sick persons who could not go anywhere.
“The only thing you will see if you go to those villages are the animals and the sick persons or the old ones who cannot tre to other places,” the resident said.
He disclosed that Damana has been collecting levy within the four villages, lamenting that, the authorities were aware of their predicament but could not do anything to protect them.
“We have been paying for the levy to the bandits just because we have nobody to protect us and we have been reporting this issue to both the state and the local government but nothing has been done”.
“We are still calling on the federal government to please come to our aid. We have been in a terrible situation in the last four years.We have yet to harvest our crops because we could not settle the amount N110 million imposed on us by the bandits,” Mohammed added.
Spokesperson of the state police command ASP Yazid Abubakar, was yet to confirm or debunk the threat.
