Bandits kill farmer, kidnap six others in Taraba

Armed bandits have killed a farmer and kidnapped at least six others in Garbatau in Bali Local Government Area of Taraba State, residents have reported.

Although the police have not issued statements on the incidents, local sources said Wanda Maibultu, a farmer, was killed on his farm Saturday evening.

“Maibultu is a famous farmer with a large-scale farm located in Garbatau village, a few kilometres from Garba Chede town,” Adamu Dauda, a resident of Maihula, told PREMIUM TIMES on Monday.

Mr Dauda said the kidnappers had demanded a N100 million ransom from the families of the abducted farmers.

He said the six farmers were kidnapped near Garbatau, a farming community located between two mountains.

Mr Dauda said this is not the first kidnapping incident in the community. The bandits abducted dozens of farmers in separate raids last year and many of them had to pay ransom to be freed, he said.

The farmers kidnapped in the latest incident were harvesting their crops when the bandits struck, he said.

The state police spokesperson, Usman Abdullahi, did not answer a call to his line or reply to text and Whatsapp messages sent to him by our reporter on the matter.

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Kidnapping for ransom is common in many parts of Taraba and other states in northern Nigeria. The kidnappings are done by various armed groups.

The kidnapping of farmers and the takeover of farming communities by bandits has been mentioned as one of the reasons for the food crisis Nigeria is currently facing.