Armed groups operating in parts of Kano and Katsina states are allegedly extorting farmers, demanding up to ₦50,000 per acre from sugarcane growers before harvest, as they enforce a parallel system of governance within key forest reserves in the region.
According to reports on Friday, the armed groups have entrenched themselves in Rugu Forest in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State and Falgore Forest in Doguwa Local Government Area of Kano State, where they collect illegal farm taxes and issue threats against non-compliant farmers.
The farmers who refuse to pay the imposed levies face intimidation, destruction of their crops, and the risk of violent attacks, thus forcing many to abandon their farmlands entirely.
Sugarcane farmers are said to be the primary targets, though maize production has also been affected.
The forests, according to an activist, Bakatsine, with X handle @DanKatsina50, are 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 warn that continued disruption of farming activities in the area could trigger wider food shortages and price increases across northern Nigeria.
Despite the presence of military and police checkpoints along the Falgore road, the report claims that armed groups operate freely within five kilometres of these security positions.
This has raised concerns about the effectiveness of security coverage and the capacity of authorities to protect rural communities.
Residents and farming communities describe the situation as a gradual takeover, with armed actors enforcing rules, collecting levies, and exercising control over daily economic activities without resistance by the state.
The development has intensified calls for urgent action by Kano and Katsina state governments and federal security agencies to dismantle the alleged parallel structures and prevent a looming food-security crisis.
As of press time, no official response had been issued by the affected state governments or security agencies.
