Bandits around Ardo-Kola local government area of Taraba State have resorted to collecting beer as levies from farmers before allowing them to harvest their crops, Daily Trust reports.
A senior civil servant in Jalingo, who preferred anonymity, told the paper that he was forced to buy beer worth over N200,000 before he was allowed to harvest his Benniseed farm.
He said the levy imposed by the bandits ranges from N20,000 to N100,000 depending on the size of the farm.
“ I paid with beer worth N200,000 before getting access to my farm,” he said.
According to the report, farming communities where the levy was imposed by the bandits include Baka, Kasakuru, Majowere, Digun, Nyapori, Buzi, Dare, and Sakala.
A resident in the local government area, Mallam Dantala Bello claimed that farmers have become used to paying the levy to the bandits before harvest.
“Some abandon their farms if they are levied too much and project that they can’t recover the amount after harvest,” he said.
Another source in the area said the bandits were working with informants to get information on people coming to harvest their farms in the area.