Bandits Demand N500,000 From Benue Farmer to Harvest Crops

A farmer in Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State has reportedly abandoned his farm after suspected bandits demanded N500,000 before allowing him to access and harvest his crops.

The farmer, whose identity has not been disclosed, is a resident of Mbagena Council Ward in Katsina-Ala, where suspected local bandits have allegedly been terrorising residents and imposing ransom demands on members of the community.

His son, John James, a 300-level student of Benue State University, disclosed the family’s ordeal at the weekend during a capacity-building workshop on promoting safety and security rights, accountability and access to justice organised by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) in Makurdi.

James said his father, who combines farming with public service, was attacked at his home about two weeks ago by suspected bandits who demanded N500,000.

According to him, the attackers initially gave his father three days to raise the money but later extended the deadline to one week after he explained that he could not immediately raise the sum because he had yet to harvest his farm produce.

James said his father had planned to harvest his groundnuts, beniseed, soyabeans and other crops to raise the money demanded by the attackers.

“About two weeks ago, terrorists invaded his compound in the night where he was sleeping alongside my mother after work. They charged him to pay a ransom of N500,000. My father pleaded with them because there was nothing at the moment. He had to plead with them for our lives because contacting the security will only worsen the situation,” he said.

James said the situation escalated when the attackers returned to the family home and abducted his mother, accusing the farmer of deliberately delaying payment.

He said his father was away attending a burial ceremony near Katsina-Ala town when the attackers arrived and took his mother away.

According to James, she was later released after one of the abductors reportedly pleaded for her freedom after seeing that she was distressed and crying.

“She was freed but not without being tortured. As I talk to you now, my mother is suffering emotionally and physically from the pains she suffered in the course of the torture,” he said.

James said his father subsequently sought help from friends and relatives and raised N200,000, which he handed over to the suspected bandits at midnight on Thursday.

The payment, however, did not secure unrestricted access to the farm, as the attackers allegedly demanded the remaining N300,000 before allowing him to return and harvest the rest of his crops.

“When my father returned and handed them the money, they said it was not enough, that he had to complete it to N500,000 before he would be allowed to harvest anything from his farm,” James said.

He said the continuing threats had forced his father to leave the area, leaving his crops behind.

“They are still threatening my father for the remaining amount, and he is on the run for fear of the unknown. He can’t go back to harvest everything now until he gets all the money,” he added.

James alleged that the suspected bandits continued to operate freely in the community and claimed that some were known to residents.

“These people are moving freely in our vicinity, and they are local bandits. In fact, some of them are known to the villagers because they are from the same community,” he said.

He said his father’s experience was part of a wider pattern of insecurity affecting residents in the area.

According to him, villagers had suffered repeated attacks, theft and intimidation, although the reported demand for money specifically to gain access to a farm was a new experience for his father.

“Other villagers suffer a similar fate regularly. However, it’s the first time my father has been charged a ransom for harvest. But he had been attacked several times where his money and goods were carted away,” James said.

The university student also expressed concern about what he described as residents’ reluctance to report attacks to security agencies, alleging that some villagers who had sought police intervention were subsequently targeted by the bandits.

“The villagers hardly report to police because those who attempted were killed by the bandits,” he alleged.

The claims were made during the SERAP workshop, which brought community members together to discuss experiences of insecurity and ways of seeking accountability and access to justice.

The programme also sought to help participants better understand their rights and available mechanisms for demanding greater protection and accountability from relevant authorities.