Metro
ISWAP Makes $191m Annually Taxing Locals In Lake Chad Region — Report

The Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) has quietly built a functioning state-like economy across the Lake Chad region, controlling farms and cattle business through a complex taxation and governance regime that rivals Somalia-style jihadi fiefdoms.
According to a report by The New Humanitarian news agency, ISWAP collects an estimated $191 million annually through a formalised system of levies on fishers, farmers, traders and migrant workers.
Originally a project of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), The New Humanitarian (formerly IRIN News) operated under the UN until January 1, 2015. On March 21, 2019, IRIN relaunched independently as The New Humanitarian.
The news agency, which said its report was based on painstaking investigations, stated that what the extremists make per year vastly outstrips the official tax intake of the Borno State government, which it said took in only about $18.4 million in 2024.
“This investigation explores the system of rule and revenue streams that ISWAP has built in what it refers to as the dawla — the so-called caliphate it has established in parts of northeastern Nigeria and the Lake Chad region.
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“The report is based on in-depth interviews with fishers and traders that regularly visit ISWAP territory on a string of islands in Lake Chad, as well as former ISWAP officials and clerics who have left the group and quietly resettled in northern Nigeria,” the agency said.
The New Humanitarian report identified three primary types of revenue for ISWAP.
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Zakat: a faith-based levy on livestock, netting around $3.7 million yearly.
Haraji: a tax for outsiders engaging in economic activity within ISWAP territory, often fishers and seasonal workers, collected through entry permits of roughly $13 each.
Darayib: a broader category including fees on trade, cattle, charcoal, and agriculture, imposed at checkpoints and markets.
“These payments,” the report said, “are enforced systematically with receipts, designated inspectors, and severe penalties for non-payment, allowing ISWAP to finance military campaigns, pay fighters and bills, and even offer rudimentary public services.
READ ALSO:ISWAP, Boko Haram: Why Tinubu Govt, Govs Can’t Dialogue With Bandits – Shehu Sani
“ISWAP administers three broad categories of taxation: zakat, haraji and darayib. Each tax has a separate receipt that is issued after payment.
“ISWAP collects zakat from cattle-owning farmers worth roughly $3.7 million a year. The tax ranges from 3.3 per cent to 1 per cent, depending on herd size — the lowest rate levied on herds of more than 60 to 80 animals.
“ISWAP does not physically take the cattle but instead collects the cash equivalent — based on a pre-determined market value, eliminating the possibility of herders undervaluing their livestock.
“It also imposes a similar tax structure on sheep and goats but does collect the animals, reportedly for festive occasions and other internal uses within the group,” the report said.
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While violent and ideologically driven, ISWAP has adopted pragmatic governance models. In many of its controlled areas, locals report being taxed for perceived “protection.”
“Before entry into ISWAP’s territory, every individual is required to pay a $13 fee. Those with cash pay immediately at the first checkpoint before being allowed to proceed. Those without the money are permitted to enter after making a pledge to pay following their business activities.
“In such cases, the group leader is held accountable for ensuring that all deferred payments are settled. Each person receives a permit or receipt, which serves as proof of payment and protects them from harassment by ISWAP’s inspection task force operating on the islands. With this permit, individuals are not disturbed.
READ ALSO:ISWAP Kills 8 Boko Haram Members, Seizes Large Quantities Of Ammunition
“Once inside, fishers are required to pay additional fees to be in allocated fishing areas. The amount depends on the size of the area requested and the fishing method they intend to use,” the report said.
Quoting fishers it interviewed, The New Humanitarian said: “These fees range from $13 to $196 and cover an entire fishing season, usually from February to June.
“Before exiting the territory with their goods, each fisher or fish trader is charged a fishing tax of around $2.60 per 100-kilogram carton of fish. During a normal fishing season, ISWAP can generate around $156,000 from entry permits alone.”
The Nigerian military has been unrelenting in tackling extremist groups in the entire North East area, which includes the Lake Chad region.
(TRIBUNE)
Metro
Lagos Man Shot Dead After Fight In Nightclub

There was panic on Friday after a man, identified simply as Alex, was shot by suspected gunmen at Iyana Isashi in the Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos State.
It was learnt that the incident occurred at about 8 pm.
A resident in the community who requested not to be mentioned due to the nature of the incident had told The PUNCH that the deceased was on his way to meet a friend when two men on a bike accosted him.
One of them was, however, said to have pulled out a gun in the process and shot him at close range.
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The source said, “Alex stays at Cele Niza here in Iyana Isashi. He had just come back from his place of work when he stepped out again, probably to meet a friend. He was on his way when some men on a bike stopped him on the way and shot him. It was the sound of the gunshot that attracted people around, who rushed to the spot and found him lying in a pool of blood. The gunmen were also seen trying to escape from the area while still on the bike.”
According to the source, Alex was immediately rushed to the hospital, where he was being attended to.
Giving an update on the incident on Wednesday, the source confirmed to that the victim succumbed to the gunshot injuries earlier in the day.
“We lost him this morning. He had been in a coma since that Friday, and doctors tried all they could to save him, but he did not make it,” the source disclosed.
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Meanwhile, the victim, otherwise known as Fleximore, was said to have had an altercation with some strangers at a nightclub in the community a day before the incident happened.
Another resident who identified himself simply as Quadri and made this known to The PUNCH on Wednesday said, “Some of his friends who went to a club in the area with him said he had a serious fight with some guys there. They said it started with an argument that later resulted in a confrontation.
“Although they tried to settle it but that is very unusual of him. You hardly hear anything of such about him. Alex is an easy-going person and does not make trouble, but we don’t know the kind of person he had issues with at the nightclub, and that is why some people said the attack was most likely a result of what happened at the club.”
According to Quadri, arrangements are ongoing to bury the late Alex.
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The state Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, said she was not aware of the incident.
“I am not aware of the incident, but I will call the DPO in the area to confirm,” she said.
Communities in the Iba Local Government Area and adjoining communities along the Lagos–Badagry Expressway have, over the months, witnessed a series of cult-related attacks. The resident had also called for the intervention of the police authorities.
Metro
Gunmen Invade Ex-Ogun LG Chairman’s Residence

An armed gang on Thursday morning invaded the residence of former Ijebu-Ode Local Government Chairman, Alhaji Emilola Gazal, carting away valuables, cash, and his vehicle.
Gazal, who is also the publisher of The Roots Magazine, confirmed the incident in a telephone interview.
“The three armed men broke into my residence at Ijebu-Ode GRA at about 2 a.m. They collected all the cash with me after which they forced me to open my bank apps on my phone and transfer everything there to an account they provided. They left only N5,000 in my account.
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“They also made away with my wife’s trinkets and with my ash-colour car. They actually told me they would be going away with my car. I am just going to report the incident to the police at Igbeba and Obalende, Ijebu-Ode”, Gazal told our correspondent.
According to The PUNCH, that this incident comes amid a spate of violent robberies and home invasions reported across Ogun State, particularly in the Ijebu area.
For example, earlier this year, the Ogun State Police Command killed a suspected armed robber in a gun duel along the Sagamu–Ijebu Ode Expressway.
READ ALSO:Police Foil Robbery On Sagamu-Benin Expressway, Recover Stolen Tricycle In Ogun
The command, on September 12, 2025, also recently arrested a man linked to a burglary and armed robbery in Ayetoro, amounting to about N1.5 million in stolen goods.
Meanwhile, the regional security network, Amotekun Corps, has in past operations engaged criminal gangs in shootouts, neutralising suspects in Ogun’s border zones.
Details later…
Metro
Edo Police Kill Two Suspected Kidnappers In Gun Duel

Operatives of the Edo State Police Command neutralised two suspected kidnappers in a gun duel in Ubiaja, Esan South East Local Government Area on September 30.
The command’s spokesperson, Moses Yamu, confirmed this on Wednesday in a statement made available to newsmen in Benin.
According to Yamu, other suspects escaped with varying degrees of injury in the course of the gun battle, while guns and mobile phones were recovered from the scene.
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He said, “On 30th September, 2025 at about 09:50hrs, acting on credible intelligence, operatives of the Amedokhian Tactical Division, in synergy with local Hunters and the Vigilante group, led by SP Peter Ogah, embarked on a bush combing operation along the railway track leading to Ubiaja in Esan South East Local Government Area.
“During the operation, the team encountered a gang of suspected kidnappers who opened fire on the operatives. In the ensuing gun duel, two of the suspects were neutralised, while others escaped with varying degrees of injuries.
“One AK-47 rifle with breech number 4148, 33 rounds of live ammunition, and two mobile phones were recovered at the scene. The neutralised suspects were immediately taken to the hospital where they were confirmed dead.”
READ ALSO:Police Rescue Mother, Baby, Five Others From Kidnappers In Kwara
The command’s imagemaker also disclosed that on the same date, operatives of the same Tactical Division recovered an English-made double-barreled shotgun with breech number 03273286 and two live cartridges in the forest around Idumogun community in Ukoni area of Esan South East LGA during a bush combing operation.
He said the Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, commended the gallantry of the operatives, hunters, and vigilante groups for their swift response and synergy in combating crime.
Agbonika assured members of the public that the Command remains resolute in its commitment to rid the State of criminal elements.
He urged members of the public to support the command’s Community Safety Partnership initiative and informal policing efforts in ensuring a safer Edo State.
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