A feared bandit commander, Mustapha Babaro, has reportedly ordered residents of Yargoje and neighbouring villages in Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State to collectively raise ₦50 million or face dire consequences.
The allegation was made in a post on X by security analyst, Bakatsine, on Sunday.
According to him, villagers disclosed that Babaro delivered the threat on Saturday, setting a deadline for the payment.
He wrote: “Notorious armed bandit leader Mustapha Babaro has reportedly imposed a ₦50m levy on Yargoje and communities surrounding it, Kankara LGA, Katsina State.
“Residents say he issued a stern warning to villages yesterday that failing to pay within the set deadline will have repercussions,” Bakatsine wrote.
He further queried the credibility of recent negotiations with criminal groups in the area, stating:
“If this can happen in an LGA that held two peace parleys with bandits in less than 3 months, what kind of truce are local authorities in Katsina State actually reaching and how effective is it in protecting communities?”.
As of press time, state authorities had not issued an official response to the reported threat.