The Nigerian Army troops of Operation HADIN KAI in collaboration with gallant members of the Civilian Joint Task Force have arrested suspected Boko Haram Tax Collectors in Magumeri Local Government Area, Borno State.
The suspects were “arrested while collecting taxes and levies from locals in Yesu, close to Dushewu village in the Magumeri Local Government Area of the state,” a military source told SaharaReporters.
The arrest comes only days after Sahara Reporters revealed in a report that tax receipts were given by the terror group to farmers and herders in several North-Eastern states.
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Residents of several farming communities in Borno State under the Boko Haram’s control were reportedly given receipts after the group collected levies and taxes from them.
In multiple stories published in 2021, Sahara Reporters had detailed how insurgents were collecting taxes from the inhabitants of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe States. According to sources, those who do not follow the directive face the death penalty.
ISWAP built two Wilayas (Caliphates) near Lake Chad and Sambisa Forest to sustain its assault against countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to SaharaReporters.
Three years after chasing people out for allegedly spying for Nigerian forces, the terrorist group relaxed the restriction on fishing and farming activities in the Lake Chad area, according to sources.
It did, however, impose additional taxes and levies in ISWAP Boko Haram-controlled areas to monitor trade and agricultural activity.
The new ISWAP Boko Haram leadership had arranged for a number of fishermen, farmers, and merchants to return to the Lake Chad area to engage in socio-economic operations.
ISWAP has been consolidating its influence in areas around Lake Chad since the death of JAS commander Abubakar Shekau.
Wali Sani Shuwaram, 45, was recently appointed as the new Leader (Wali) of ISWAP in Lake Chad.
Hundreds of Boko Haram fighters have defected to ISWAP, increasing the sect’s membership.
The Nigerian Army has consistently stated that the insurgency has been mostly vanquished, while downplaying any losses.
The terror group has killed over 100,000 people and displaced millions of people, mostly in the states of Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe.
Source: Sahara Repoters.
