More than 100 communities across Kaduna State have reportedly been forced to abandon their homes following repeated attacks by bandits and terrorists, leaving thousands of residents displaced and vulnerable.
The affected communities are spread across several local government areas, including Kachia, Kajuru, Kagarko, Chikun and Birnin Gwari, with neighbouring communities in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State also affected.
National President of the Southern Kaduna Peoples’ Union, Tabara Kato, said more than 100 communities had been displaced, while former spokesman of the group, Luka Binniyat, put the figure at 245 communities.
Kato also disclosed that about 35,402 residents had been displaced across Kaduna State.
The scale of the crisis was further highlighted by the reported July 26 attack on Naridon Village in Kamaru Ward, Kauru Local Government Area, where terrorists allegedly killed at least 30 villagers, including eight children, during a three-hour assault.
Kato attributed much of the violence to land grabbing, alleging that armed groups were being sponsored by individuals seeking to drive indigenous residents from their communities and take control of lands believed to contain mineral resources.
He said some displaced residents were now living in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps under extremely difficult conditions, with limited access to basic necessities.
“So far, more than 100 communities have been displaced. Some of the victims are now living in Internally Displaced Peoples camps. They are living from hand to mouth and at the mercy of the weather, and human and natural hazards,” Kato said.
He called on the Federal Government and security agencies to investigate those allegedly financing the attacks, arguing that arresting individual attackers without identifying their sponsors would not end the crisis.
Binniyat, who is also spokesman for the Middle Belt Forum, described the prolonged displacement as a dangerous security vacuum that is increasingly becoming a haven for terrorists and kidnappers.
He claimed that as of June 2026, about 245 communities had been sacked across Southern Kaduna and estimated that internally displaced persons in the area had reached about 150,000.
According to him, the most affected areas include Kachia, Kajuru, Kagarko and Chikun Local Government Areas, as well as some Gbagyi communities in Birnin Gwari.
He said the affected communities, together with displaced boundary communities in Shiroro, now form a vast contiguous area where armed groups allegedly operate with little or no effective government presence.
Binniyat urged the Federal Government and security agencies to launch coordinated operations to retake occupied communities, dismantle terrorist camps and create conditions for displaced residents to safely return home.
He also called for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of destroyed communities, warning that prolonged occupation could deepen insecurity across the North-West and North-Central regions.
Communities Enter Informal ‘Peace’ Deals
Amid the continuing attacks, investigations have revealed that some communities in Kachia Local Government Area have reportedly been compelled to enter informal “peace” arrangements with armed groups after repeated attacks.
Residents said the agreements, reached under severe pressure, have reportedly become mechanisms through which armed groups impose various conditions on villagers, including payments, restrictions on movement, forced labour and other forms of coercion.
A resident of Mai-Ido Kufai, Jessy Francis, said community leaders and residents initially entered negotiations because they hoped the arrangements would allow them to return home and resume normal life.
However, Francis said the hopes of achieving lasting peace gradually disappeared. He alleged that women in some communities had suffered sexual violence, while residents were forced to cultivate farmland controlled by armed groups.
Another displaced resident, Danjuma Sunday, said he fled Mai-Goro in 2021 after surviving several attacks. He said residents initially supported negotiations because they believed they could reduce the violence, but the arrangement ultimately failed to provide lasting security.
Sunday now lives in Kachia with his family but occasionally returns to his farm despite the risks.
Residents also alleged that security personnel were sometimes deployed to affected communities, but that armed groups would temporarily withdraw before returning after the troops left.
However, the Village Head of Ariko, Jashua Doka, said his community had rejected pressure to negotiate with terrorists.
“People kept telling us to negotiate with them, but I refused. If I negotiate with criminals and God calls me tomorrow, what explanation will I give? I fear God,” he said.
The Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Dr Suleiman Shuaibu, said he was unaware of the reported informal arrangements.
“I am just hearing this from you. Can you allow me some time to verify the claims and get back to you?” he said.
Attempts to obtain comments from the Kaduna State Police Command were unsuccessful, as its spokesperson, Mansir Hassan, reportedly did not respond to calls or a text message before the report was filed.
