Armed groups operating in parts of Kano and Katsina States are allegedly extorting farmers, demanding up to N50,000 per acre from sugarcane growers before harvest, as they enforce a parallel system of governance within key forest reserves in the region.
The bandits have entrenched themselves in the Rugu Forest of Faskari Local Council of Katsina State and Falgore Forest of Doguwa council area of Kano State, where they collect illegal farm taxes and issue threats against non-compliant farmers, according to a report by The Guardian.
The report noted that farmers, who refused to pay the imposed levies, faced intimidation, destruction of their crops, and risked violent attacks, forcing many to abandon their farmlands entirely.
Sugarcane farmers are said to be the primary targets, though maize production is equally affected.
The forests, according to activist Bakatsine with X handle @DanKatsina50, were strategically located within the Kano–Katsina food belt, a major agricultural corridor supplying sugarcane and maize to large markets such as Dawanau Market in Kano.
Experts warned that continued disruption of farming activities in the area could trigger food shortages and price increases across Northern Nigeria.
Despite the presence of military and police checkpoints on the Falgore Road, the report claimed that armed groups were operating within five kilometres of the security positions.
Residents and farming communities reportedly described the situation as a gradual takeover, with armed actors enforcing rules, collecting levies, and exercising control over daily economic activities without resistance.
As of press time, no official response was issued by the affected state governments or security agencies.
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