Armed robbers order Benue agriculturist to pay N500,000 ransom to collect his farm produce

A farmer in Kastina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State has abandoned his farm due to demands from suspected bandits, who are seeking N500,000 in exchange for allowing him to harvest his crops.

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The farmer, a resident of Mbagena Council Ward, has been targeted by local bandits who have been terrorising the community and imposing ransom demands on its members, according to his son, John James, a 300-level student at Benue State University.

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James revealed that his father, who combines farming with public service, was attacked in his home about two weeks ago by suspected bandits, who initially gave him three days to raise the N500,000 ransom, but later extended the deadline to one week.

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His father had returned home to harvest his groundnut, beniseed, soyabean, and other crops to generate income to meet the ransom demand, but the attackers abducted his mother when he was away attending a burial ceremony near Kastina-Ala town.

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James' mother was later released after one of the abductors took pity on her due to her distress, but not before being tortured, and she is now suffering emotionally and physically from the ordeal.

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His father eventually raised N200,000, which he delivered to the bandits at midnight on Thursday, allowing him to harvest some of his crops, but the attackers insisted that he must pay the balance of N300,000 to harvest the remaining produce.

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The student explained that the continued threats have forced his father to flee the area, leaving his crops at the mercy of the bandits, who are still demanding the remaining N300,000.

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James lamented that the suspected bandits are moving freely within the community, with some of them known to residents, and that his father's experience is not an isolated incident, as residents have suffered repeated attacks, theft, and intimidation.

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He noted that although it was the first time his father had been forced to pay ransom to access his farm, he had previously been attacked, with his money and goods taken away, and that other villagers have suffered similar fates.

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James also raised concerns over the reluctance of residents to report attacks to security agencies, alleging that villagers who attempted to seek police intervention were subsequently targeted by the bandits.

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The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project's workshop, where James shared his family's ordeal, aimed to promote safety and security rights, accountability, and access to justice, providing a platform for community members to share experiences of insecurity and learn how to demand accountability and seek justice.