Bandit leader Ya’u Duno Babban-Kauye has admitted extorting peace and safety levies totaling N5 million from villagers in Zamfara State, specifically in the Tsafe Local Government Area.
In a viral video during police interrogation, he disclosed the killings of Sanusi Dakolo and Suleiman Usman after collecting N500,000 from each victim.
Dakolo was targeted for joining a local militant group opposing bandits, while Usman was killed without justification. Babban-Kauye expressed regret over his gang member, Babanlo, shooting Usman despite the latter complying with the imposed tax.
In a video posted by a counter-insurgency expert and security analyst in the Lake Chad region, Zagazola Makama, on X (formerly Twitter), which was credited to Abdul Balarabe (@abdul_donjay), Babban-Kauye gave details of his operations, including how he killed two police officers and took away their guns.
He said, “We collected N3 million, that’s N1 million each from Sangawa, Rikibu and Nasarawa Mai Fara villages. We got N250,000 at Dakolo village. We got N150,000 from Kani village and another N150,000 from Magaji.
“Regrettably, my cousin Babanlo murdered Suleiman Usman after dutifully paying the N500,000 tax levied on him. I had asked Babanlo to escort him home, unfortunately, he fired shots at him the moment they were out of sight.
“It is true we collected N500,000 from Sanusi but we had to kill him because he decided to join a militant group to antagonise us.”
“We are also responsible for the death of two policemen at Keita. We ambushed them, killed the two and took away two AK47 rifles,” he said.