Jihadist group linked to IS kill 20 in Nigeria town for refusing to pay ‘cattle tax’

Scores of fighters from Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) stormed the remote farming and herding village of Kayayya in Yobe State, Nigeria, late on Monday, hurling explosives and opening fire, France 24 reported.
“At approximately 8:00 pm, the terrorists launched an attack on the village using guns and explosives, while the villagers were enjoying their evening conversation,” said a militia member supporting the military in their struggle against the jihadists.

“They then opened fire on those residents who tried to flee. They killed 17 people and injured five others,” he added.

According to a Yobe state police report, 20 people were killed and parts of the village razed before the militants fled.

The attack was in response to the villagers’ refusal to pay jihadists a tax they demanded on cattle, said another militia member who confirmed the same toll.

Militants and armed groups in remote parts of Nigeria sometimes demand “taxes” on communities as a way to exercise control and raise funds.

It should be mentioned that extremist ISIS ideology and practices have deep roots in the unlawful coup of Saqifa following the martyrdom of the Holy Prophet, which usurped the caliphate and caused perpetual deviation in the Islamic Umma. True Islamic teachings never allow for any type of forced taxation.