Residents of at least 26 communities in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State have begun contributing money to pay fresh levies imposed by bandits who have also barred them from accessing their farms ahead of the wet season farming activities.

Report says the armed groups issued a three-day ultimatum, warning farmers not to visit their farmlands until the levies demanded from the affected communities were paid.

The affected communities include; Garin Faji, Cina Barka, Zululu, Dan Gari, Garin Maigayya, Gardi, Katsira, Garin Baushe, Sulmawa, Zakin Ganga, Dan Kware, Garje, Dogon Faru, Son Allah, Garin Galadima, Kafchi, Matabaya, Garin Labo, Zango, Kaifin Aska, Tsauna Dogo, Tudun Wada, Rambadawa, Ga Itace, Nasarawa and Garin Idi

A resident who maintains close contact with people in the affected villages said the bandits threatened to kill or abduct anyone found farming during the period.

“The communities were given three days. They said nobody should go to the farms until the money is paid. Anyone caught farming would either be killed or kidnapped and would not regain freedom until a ransom of N500,000 is paid,” he said.

He said residents had already started contributing money to meet the demands.

A resident of Zululu village, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he was preparing to go to his farm on Friday when he learnt of the directive.

“We were told that the bandits had banned farming activities for three days until the villages paid the levies they impose every year.

“They said they could have allowed people to go to their farms and then kill some and abduct others, but they wanted the money instead. According to them, security operatives have been seizing their livestock, so no farming would take place until the levies were paid,” he said.

He said traditional rulers and Islamic clerics from the affected communities were expected to meet with the bandits to determine how much each village would pay before residents could resume farming.

The resident said the communities had been subjected to such payments for years.

“We pay before planting and sometimes every two or three months. Even after paying now, they may return in about three months and say nobody should harvest millet until another levy is paid.

“They usually demand between N4 million and N6 million from a community. Villagers contribute according to their means. Some households pay N1,500 or N2,000, while in some villages farmers contribute as much as N5,000 each depending on the population,” he said.

Another source, who is an indigene of Garin Idi village and currently residing in Sabon Birni town, who visited the community on Friday to sympathise with residents following the abduction of about 20 people in the early hours of the day, confirmed that the affected communities had already started raising money to pay the levies.

He alleged that when the bandits felt the payments were being delayed, they stormed Garin Idi and abducted about 20 people on Friday.

“They later told community leaders that N600,000 must be paid before the victims could be released. The money was raised and paid, leading to the release of the abductees on Friday,” he said.

The source added that five other persons were still being held captive.

“As of now, there are still five people in their custody. They said they will not release them until the levy is paid. Even after farming, they may still prevent people from harvesting until fresh payments are made,” he said.

He further alleged that farmers are often compelled to surrender part of their harvest to the bandits before they are allowed to store food in their barns.

“Every year, after harvesting, they demand part of the produce from farmers before allowing them to store their crops. This has become a recurring burden on our communities,” he said.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in Sokoto State, DSP Ahmad Rufai, said the command was not aware of the development.

“We are not aware of such a situation. Most times, communities do not report these kinds of incidents to security agencies,” he said.

Efforts to get the reaction of the Sokoto State Government were unsuccessful. Text and WhatsApp messages sent to the governor’s spokesman, Abubakar Bawa, and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security Matters, Col. Ahmad Usman (rtd), seeking their comments on the allegations had not been responded to as of the time of filing this report, the report also mentioned.

On June 15th , following Sweden’s 5-1 victory over Tunisia, the team’s striker Isak was interviewed.

Tunisia had not conceded a single goal in 10 World Cup qualifiers, but their clean-sheet record at this World Cup was broken immediately by Sweden. Isak delivered an exceptional performance in the match, directly contributing to 4 of the team’s 5 goals.

Isak said after the match: “It was incredible. We have a lot of players making their World Cup debuts, so to do it this way is really special.”

He was also satisfied with his performance: “Everyone played well, as did the whole team. We scored early, which made the game easier to manage.”

Speaking about his partnership with Gyökeres, he said: “The plan was to use the speed of our two forwards to counter-attack, make high-intensity runs, and then recover. We worked very well together.”

Swedish commentator Erik Niva said after the match: “No team will want to face Sweden in the matches ahead.”

The Rossoneri are looking to reshape their technical staff after parting ways with Max Allegri following a disappointing fifth-place finish and their first move is to hire Amorim ahead of the new campaign.

Amorim was dismissed from Old Trafford hotseat in January after launching a public attack on the club’s hierarchy following a 1-1 draw at Leeds United.

Now, he is set to return to management as he draws closer to taking over Italian giants AC Milan according to Fabrizo Romano.

The transfer specialist reports that
verbal agreement is done on deal valid until June 2028 plus option until June 2029.

“Amorim has accepted all conditions and will sign this week as new Milan manager.” Romano registered.

The good news for the Red Devils is that ESPN reports that club accounts released in February revealed United have “a provision of £15.9m” relating to money owed to Amorim and his coaching staff after he was sacked.

However, if Amorim takes a new job then the club would not have to pay the maximum for the Portuguese tactician which is great news ahead of the summer transfer window as funds are freed up.

United and AC Milan are scheduled to meet in a pre-season friendly on August 15th in Wroclaw, Poland in what could be an interesting reunion.