Key points

• Bandits demanded N500,000 from a Benue farmer as a condition to harvest his own crops
• His wife was abducted and tortured after he could not raise the full ransom in time
• The farmer paid N200,000 but fled after bandits threatened him over the remaining N300,000 balance

A farmer in Kastina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State has been forced to abandon his crops after suspected bandits demanded N500,000 from him before allowing him to harvest his own farm produce, with his wife later abducted and tortured when he could not pay the full amount quickly enough.

The farmer’s son, John James, a 300-level student at Benue State University, shared the family’s ordeal at a workshop organized by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project in Makurdi over the weekend.

The workshop focused on safety, security rights and access to justice for communities facing violence.

Bandits invaded the home at night and gave a three-day deadline

James said the attackers broke into his parents’ home at night about two weeks ago while both his father and mother were asleep. They demanded N500,000 and gave the farmer three days to raise the money.

When the farmer explained that he had not yet harvested his crops and could not pay immediately, the bandits extended the deadline to one week.

His father then returned to the farm to harvest groundnut, beniseed and soybean, hoping to sell the produce and raise the ransom. While he was away attending a burial ceremony nearby, the bandits came back to the house and took his mother away, accusing the farmer of deliberately stalling on payment.

“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,” James said.

His mother was eventually released after one of the abductors reportedly pleaded on her behalf, saying she was visibly distressed and crying.

Father fled after paying N200,000 and being threatened for the balance

The farmer eventually pulled together N200,000 from friends and relatives and paid the bandits at midnight. However, the payment did not end the nightmare.

The bandits told him the amount was not enough and that he had to pay the remaining N300,000 before he could return to harvest the rest of his crops.

Faced with continued threats, the farmer abandoned what was left on the farm and fled the area. James said his father remains on the run, unable to return safely.

James also raised a wider concern about how freely the bandits move within the community. He said some of them are known to local residents because they come from the same area, yet people are too afraid to report them to the police.

He alleged that community members who had previously tried to seek police help were later killed by the same bandits in retaliation.

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