Pay or Die: Jihadists Force Zamfara Christians to Fund Their Own Persecution

Terrorists Force Nigerian Christians to Pay or Face Death as Lakurawa Jihadists Create Shadow Government in Zamfara

Armed gunmen linked to the Lakurawa jihadist group and ISIS affiliated factions are imposing brutal cash and food levies on rural Christians and other residents in Zamfara State, Nigeria, forcing thousands to flee their homes or face violent reprisals.

In Tsafe West county, gunmen reportedly demanded ₦172.7 million ($115,000) to be paid collectively by 25 villages, along with large quantities of agricultural produce. Individual villages received staggering demands: Kunchin Kalgo was ordered to pay ₦20 million, Gijinzama faced ₦8.5 million, Gunja was told to deliver ₦7 million, and Kurar Mota was levied ₦6 million.

The Lakurawa group, a Sahelian jihadist organization with ties to Al Qaeda, has controlled territory in Zamfara since 2024. Fighters frame their extortion as religiously mandated obligations, calling the levies "zakat," a tax required under Islamic law.

Farmers report being warned not to plant or harvest until levies are paid.

A TruthNigeria survey across all local government areas of Zamfara found that annual revenues from these farm levies amount to approximately $10 million. In forested rural settlements south of Gusau, the state capital, men carrying AK 47s now enforce an extortion regime that shapes daily life.

Many villagers have been forced to sell portions of future crops or grain stocks to meet demands. Those who refuse face deadly consequences. On January 31, 2026, bandits attacked a Zamfara community and burned four villagers to death over their refusal to pay illegal levies.

Criminal gangs and armed factions have enforced extortion schemes across at least five Northwestern states including Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, and Niger. The Nigerian government and security forces appear overwhelmed.

Armed Jihadists Extort Zamfara Villagers With Brutal Tax Regime Backed by Threats of Violence

The crisis intensified in February 2026 when at least 30 residents were killed in an overnight attack on Dutsin Dan Ajiya village in Anka Local Government Area. Heavily armed gunmen arrived on motorcycles, blocked all escape routes, and unleashed gunfire while setting buildings ablaze.

Hundreds of families have abandoned their homes, farmlands, and livelihoods. Once thriving communities have been reduced to ghost settlements. The violence extends beyond religious lines but Christians in the predominantly Muslim northwest face compounded persecution as a vulnerable minority under jihadist rule.

The Crusader's Opinion

These terrorists are not "bandits." They are jihadists running a shadow caliphate on Nigerian soil, extorting Christians and burning alive anyone who refuses to submit. The Nigerian government has failed these people for years. Where is the international outrage? Where are the UN resolutions? If Christian militants were taxing Muslims at gunpoint in any nation on earth, every headline in the Western world would scream about it. But when jihadists bleed Nigerian Christians dry and torch their villages, the silence is deafening. These are our brothers and sisters in Christ, and they are being told: pay us, convert, or die. The Church universal must not look away.

Take Action

• Donate to The Shepherd's Shield to support persecuted Christians in Nigeria and across the Sahel region.
• Support Open Doors USA, which ranks Nigeria as one of the most dangerous countries for Christians worldwide.
• Give to Voice of the Martyrs to provide emergency relief, Bibles, and safe houses for Nigerian believers under threat.
• Contact the Nigerian Embassy in Washington at (202) 800 7201 or info@nigeriaembassyusa.org and demand action to protect Christians in Zamfara State.
• Write to your Congressional representatives urging increased US pressure on Nigeria to protect religious minorities and defeat Lakurawa and affiliated terror groups.