Thursday, February 19, 2026 l Dalena Reporters
Tension and fear have surged in parts of Kebbi State, northwest Nigeria, after suspected Boko Haram insurgents issued a threatening letter to residents of the Utono community in Ngaski Local Government Area, demanding ₦100 million under the guise of “zakat” and warning of a possible imminent attack if their demands are not met.
The handwritten threat, dated Tuesday, February 17, 2026, was reportedly delivered to the community’s traditional leadership and outlines an ultimatum for the payment to be assembled in cash at the district head’s palace ahead of the alleged impending incursion. Locals were also instructed to gather livestock for counting as part of what the insurgents labelled a religious levy.
Since the circulation of the letter, residents have fled their homes in fear of violence, with families hurriedly relocating to nearby towns for safety. Some villagers recounted that the threat and its demands have triggered an exodus from the community, with farmlands left untended and commercial activity disrupted as uncertainty grips the area.
Local sources told reporters the insurgents explicitly warned against fleeing, a tactic that residents said has only heightened anxiety given similar insurgent patterns in other regions where initial warnings preceded deadly attacks. In the absence of a formal security assurance, many families are prioritising relocation over remaining in the community.
Security analysts note that armed groups such as Boko Haram continue to exert pressure on communities across northern Nigeria by combining intimidation with economic extortion tactics that have historically been used to generate funds and weaken local resilience against extremist control. Recent reports indicate that jihadist and bandit elements have become increasingly active beyond traditional strongholds, contributing to instability in border states.
There has been no official statement from security agencies on the specific threat to Utono at the time of reporting, and efforts by authorities to reassure displaced residents have not yet been widely publicised. Nevertheless, military and police deployments in nearby areas have been reported in recent weeks amid broader counter-insurgency operations in northwestern Nigeria.