A newly emerged terrorist group known as “Sai Mallam” has imposed monthly levies of N5 million on at least 10 rural communities in Kebbi State, threatening to seize residents’ farmlands and launch attacks if the demands are not met, SaharaReporters has learnt.
Multiple community sources told SaharaReporters on Friday that the extremist group has entrenched itself in parts of Argungu and Zuru emirates after quietly relocating to Kebbi during the first quarter of 2026.
The affected communities in Argungu include Alwasa, Danba, Sarkin Gobir, Unwara and Zazzagawa, while those in Zuru include Zodi, Tadurga, Senchi, Ciroman and Dabai.
Residents said the terrorists had summoned community leaders and demanded N5 million every month from the affected villages, warning that failure to comply would attract violent attacks and the confiscation of farmlands.
“They have told our people that every month they must produce N5 million. They said if we fail to pay, they will take over our farmlands and attack our communities,” a community source told SaharaReporters.
The source explained that the Kebbi State Government publicly acknowledged the group’s presence only after community leaders repeatedly alerted the authorities to the growing danger.
“It was after community stakeholders informed the government about the threat that the state government swung into action and issued the statement some days ago,” the source said.
“But issuing a statement alone cannot stop these terrorists. What the people want is for the Federal Government to deploy enough military personnel to flush them out before they become stronger.”
Another resident accused the terrorists of systematically recruiting vulnerable youths into their ranks.
According to the source, the group moved into Kebbi during the first quarter of the year and began luring unemployed youths with promises of monthly stipends and food supplies.
“They came with a strategy. They promised young people monthly allowances and food rations. After recruiting them, they started preaching radical ideologies, convincing them that what they are doing is jihad,” the source said.
“Many of those joining them are Almajiri children who were abandoned by their parents and Mallams. Most of them are not even from Kebbi State. Some are from Niger Republic and Chad.”
Almajiri refers to children, mostly boys, who are enrolled in a traditional Islamic education system common in northern Nigeria and parts of neighbouring countries such as Niger, Chad, and Cameroon.
More recently, the term is often associated with children who live on the streets, beg for food or money to survive, or have limited access to formal education, healthcare, and social services.
They are often vulnerable to exploitation, abuse, trafficking, forced labour, and recruitment by criminal or extremist groups.
This situation developed over time as traditional support systems weakened due to poverty, urbanisation, population growth, and declining public funding.
However, residents warned that unless urgent military intervention is undertaken, the group could establish a permanent foothold similar to other terrorist organisations operating in Nigeria’s North-West.
The latest revelations came days after the Kebbi State Government publicly acknowledged the growing presence of the “Sai Mallam Terrorist Sects” in parts of the state.
Speaking during a town hall meeting with the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the North-West, DIG Suleiman Muhammad Abdul, the state’s Security Adviser, retired Colonel Danladi Ribah, admitted that the group had become widespread in Argungu.
“Without an iota of doubt, ‘Sai Mallam’ adherents are present in multitude in Argungu, who were earlier detected in Zuru but in lesser numbers,” Ribah said.
He disclosed that the group’s activities were first noticed in Sokoto State, where security agencies curtailed their operations, adding that the Kebbi State Government was working with security agencies to contain the emerging threat.
According to Ribah, Kebbi continues to face security threats from multiple armed groups operating across neighbouring states and international borders.
“Lakurawa are coming into Kebbi on hit-and-run invasions from Sokoto State and the Republic of Niger; Mamudawa enter our territory from Kwara and Niger states, while bandits attack Kebbi from Zamfara State,” he said.
He assured residents that Governor Nasiru Idris had continued to provide logistics, equipment and financial support to security agencies.
However, residents who spoke to SaharaReporters insisted that government assurances were no longer sufficient.
“Our communities are living in fear every day,” the resident told SaharaReporters. “The government has acknowledged the problem, but acknowledgement is not enough. We need soldiers on the ground before these people completely overrun our villages.”
The residents warned that the continued expansion of the “Sai Mallam” group could worsen insecurity across Kebbi if federal security authorities do not take decisive action immediately.
(SaharaReporters)
