Residents of Bakale village in Kilgori district, Yabo Local Government Area of Sokoto State, have been ordered to pay a N20 million levy to prevent potential attacks from an armed group.

An audio recording obtained by our reporter captures the leader of the group instructing the village head to call a community meeting and relay the demand to residents.

In the recording, the bandit questioned the village head about compliance with a previous directive, asking, “Did you meet with them? Did they agree to obey your command?” After the head confirmed, the bandit told him to summon the residents again and announce the new N20 million levy.

“We don’t want to attack you. That is why we decided to impose this levy. If you pay, you will continue to live in peace. We will prevent any group from attacking your community or abducting your people. But if you fail to pay, we will attack, kill, and kidnap,” the bandit warned.

A community leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that similar levies have been imposed on neighbouring villages. Affected settlements across Kilgori and Torankawa districts include Bazar, Alkalije, Gari, Bakale, Dagel, Adarawa, Kwaidaza, Kilgori Runji, Tudu, Tile, Kibiyare, and Barmadu.

The levies reportedly range from N3 million to N20 million, depending on the size of each community. The source also disclosed that six people were killed in Alkalije and four in Tile during attacks two weeks ago.

Efforts to obtain a response from the Sokoto State Police Command were unsuccessful, as spokesperson DSP Ahmad Rufa’i did not answer repeated calls.