Nigeria: Eleven Farmers Killed by Muslim Assailants After Failing to Pay Demanded Levy

Boko Haram, Screenshot | Jihad Watch

Suspected jihadist militants killed 11 farmers in two separate attacks in northeastern Nigeria over the weekend, according to anti-jihadist militia members who spoke to AFP on Sunday.

Communities across northern and central Nigeria continue to face violence from both extremist groups and criminal gangs, locally known as "bandits," who are notorious for kidnappings for ransom and cattle theft.

These armed groups often demand taxes from farmers seeking access to their own land and frequently target those unable or unwilling to pay. Many farmers, already financially strained after paying ransoms to free abducted family members, are left without the means to meet these demands, while others have chosen to flee rural areas altogether.

On Saturday, attackers reportedly captured seven farmers in Kuwawu village in Borno State and killed them by slitting their throats, anti-jihadist militia sources said. The assault was attributed to militants from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), a breakaway faction and rival of the Borno-based extremist group Boko Haram.

Both ISWAP and Boko Haram have repeatedly targeted farmers, loggers, herders, and scrap metal collectors, accusing them of providing intelligence to Nigerian security forces and anti-jihadist militias.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)