More than 100 communities in Kaduna State have reportedly been forced to abandon their homes following repeated attacks by bandits and terrorists.
The affected areas span several local government areas, including Kachia, Kajuru, Kagarko, Chikun and Birnin Gwari, with neighbouring communities in Niger State’s Shiroro also affected.
The National President of the Southern Kaduna Peoples’ Union, Tabara Kato, said over 100 communities had been displaced, while former spokesman of the group, Luka Binniyat, claimed the figure had risen to 245 communities.
Kato also disclosed that about 35,402 residents had been displaced across the state.
The latest reported attack occurred on July 26 in Naridon Village, Kamaru Ward, Kauru Local Government Area, where terrorists reportedly killed at least 30 villagers, including eight children, during a three-hour assault.
Kato attributed the violence largely to land grabbing and alleged that armed groups were being sponsored by individuals seeking to displace indigenous residents and take control of lands believed to contain mineral resources.
“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.
“The major cause of these attacks is land grabbing. Every other thing is just secondary to it. The attackers are being sponsored by people with the aim of driving the original settlers away and grabbing their land.
“There are some communities that have been occupied by invaders. The violence is just a cover to chase people away from their communities because of mineral deposits and forcefully take over the communities. Some of these communities have been renamed and are now being occupied by strangers,” he said.
He called on the Federal Government and security agencies to investigate the financiers behind the attacks, arguing that arresting individual suspects without identifying their sponsors would not resolve the crisis.
“If the government is serious, they can zero in on these sponsors. Security agencies are best positioned to unravel them through thorough investigations. I just wish the government will have the political will to go after the source of this terrorism so that normalcy and peace can be restored to our communities,” he added.
Binniyat, who is also the spokesman for the Middle Belt Forum, described the prolonged displacement as “a dangerous security vacuum now serving as a haven for terrorists and kidnappers.”
He estimated that the number of internally displaced persons in Southern Kaduna had reached about 150,000.
He said, “As of June 2026, about 245 communities have been sacked by the Fulani ethnic militia across Southern Kaduna. The most affected are communities in Kachia, Kajuru, Kagarko and Chikun Local Government Areas, including some Gbagyi villages in Birnin Gwari.
“When these displaced communities are joined with the boundary communities in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State that have also been displaced, they form a contiguous land mass of about 6,000 square kilometres. That is larger than Anambra State and even bigger than Imo State.
“These are now open, ungovernable spaces holding hundreds of Fulani terrorist camps and swelling with hostages.”
Binniyat urged the Federal Government and security agencies to carry out a coordinated operation to retake occupied communities, dismantle armed-group camps and enable displaced residents to safely return home.
He also called for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of destroyed communities, warning that continued occupation could further worsen insecurity across the North-West and North-Central regions.
Communities Enter Informal ‘Peace’ Deals
Meanwhile, investigations revealed that several communities in Kachia Local Government Area have reportedly been compelled to enter informal “peace” arrangements with armed groups following repeated attacks.
Residents said the agreements, reached under severe pressure, have evolved into mechanisms through which armed groups impose various conditions on villagers.
The demands reportedly vary between communities but include payments, restrictions on movement, forced labour and other forms of coercion.
A resident of Mai-Ido Kufai, Jessy Francis, said community leaders and residents entered negotiations with the armed groups in the hope of restoring normal life.
“We believed that if we reached an understanding with them, we would be able to return to our homes and continue our lives peacefully,” he said.
Francis, however, said 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 the armed groups.
Another displaced resident, Danjuma Sunday, said he left Mai-Goro in 2021 after surviving several attacks. He said residents initially backed negotiations because they believed the move could reduce violence, but it ultimately failed to deliver peace.
Sunday now lives in Kachia with his family but occasionally returns to his farm despite the security risks.
He said security personnel were sometimes deployed to affected communities, but according to residents, 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.”
The state Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Dr Suleiman Shuaibu, said he was unaware of the reported 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.