At least 100 communities across Kaduna State have reportedly been emptied by persistent bandit attacks, while residents in parts of Kachia Local Government Area enter informal agreements with armed groups in a desperate attempt to secure their homes and farmland.
The scale of the displacement was disclosed by the National President of the Southern Kaduna Peoples’ Union, Tabara Kato, who put the number of affected residents at 35,402. However, former spokesman of the union, Luka Binniyat, gave a substantially higher figure, saying 245 communities had been sacked across Southern Kaduna as of June 2026.
The affected areas cited in the report include Kachia, Kajuru, Kagarko, Chikun, and Birnin Gwari, as well as communities linked to Shiroro in neighbouring Niger State.
The security crisis has also produced a troubling response at community level. Residents told journalists that several settlements in Kachia had negotiated informal “peace” arrangements with armed groups after repeated attacks. The agreements, they said, have evolved into systems of coercion involving demands for money, restrictions on movement, and compulsory labour.
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Jessy Francis, a resident of Mai-Ido Kufai, said residents entered negotiations hoping to return home safely and resume normal life. He alleged that women in some communities had suffered sexual violence, while villagers were forced to work on farmlands controlled by armed groups.
Another displaced resident, Danjuma Sunday of Mai-Goro, said he fled the community in 2021 after surviving repeated attacks. He said residents initially backed negotiations because they believed the arrangement could reduce violence, but the strategy produced no lasting relief.
Not every community accepted such terms. Jashua Doka, village head of Ariko, said his settlement rejected pressure to negotiate with the attackers.
“If I negotiate with criminals and God calls me tomorrow, what explanation will I give? I fear God,” Doka said.
Kato attributed the violence largely to alleged land grabbing and attempts to seize areas believed to contain mineral resources. He claimed some abandoned settlements had been renamed and occupied by new residents, although those allegations have not been independently established.
Binniyat said the prolonged displacement had created what he called a “dangerous security vacuum” that could provide space for terrorists and kidnappers. He estimated that about 150,000 people were internally displaced across Southern Kaduna.
He called for security operations to recover occupied settlements, dismantle armed-group camps, and facilitate the return of displaced residents.
The recently reported attack occurred on July 26 at Naridon Village in Kamaru Ward, Kauru Local Government Area, where at least 30 villagers, including eight children, were reportedly killed during a three-hour assault.
Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Suleiman Shuaibu, said he was unaware of the reported peace agreements when contacted.
“I am just hearing this from you. Can you allow me some time to verify the claims and get back to you?” he said.
The state police command did not respond to calls and a text message seeking its reaction before the report was filed.
