Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
More than 100 communities in and around Southern Kaduna have been displaced by repeated attacks by armed groups, while residents in several areas have been pushed into informal agreements with the attackers in an effort to survive, according to findings published on Saturday, August 29, 2026.
The affected areas include Kachia, Kajuru, Kagarko, Chikun and Birnin Gwari local government areas in Kaduna State, as well as neighbouring Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State. Communities named among the hardest hit include Aduwa, Ankuro, Akama 1, Gidan Baba Mai Mota, Gidan Yaya, Gidan Waje, Impi Kuturmi, Iriyo, Idebin, Katon Bisa, Kigwali, Kintaro, Kukah, Kurmin Aja, Kurmin Taba, Maigarma, Maraba Barga, Pangyada, Akwana, Tsakiya and Unguwan Alle.
Tabara Kato, national president of the Southern Kaduna Peoples’ Union, said more than 100 communities had been displaced and estimated that 35,402 residents had been displaced across Kaduna State. His account differs from that of Luka Binniyat, a former spokesman for the union and spokesman for the Middle Belt Forum, who said that about 245 communities had been sacked across Southern Kaduna as of June 2026. Binniyat also estimated that internally displaced people from Southern Kaduna numbered about 150,000.
Kato attributed the violence principally to what he described as land grabbing and competition for control of natural resources. He alleged that armed attackers were being sponsored by individuals seeking to remove indigenous residents and take control of land believed to contain mineral deposits. Kato called for investigations to go beyond arrests of gunmen and examine those who may finance or direct attacks.
The latest major incident cited in the reporting was the attack on Naridon village in Kamaru Ward, Kauru Local Government Area, on July 26. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu condemned the killings on July 28, describing the attack as barbaric and cowardly. The Northern Senators Forum, led by its chairman, Senator Abdulaziz Musa Yar’Adua, also condemned the violence and expressed sympathy for victims and their families.
Local accounts said homes were burned and families were caught inside their settlements as attackers moved through the village. A mass burial was later held for 27 victims, while three others had been buried earlier, bringing the reported total to 30. The victims included eight children, according to reports from the community.
Binniyat warned that prolonged displacement was creating what he called a dangerous security vacuum in which armed groups and kidnappers could establish bases. He said displaced communities in Southern Kaduna and neighbouring areas of Niger State formed a large, contiguous area where government presence had weakened. He called for coordinated security operations to reclaim occupied communities, dismantle armed camps and enable displaced residents to return safely.
The crisis has also produced an increasingly difficult question for residents: whether to negotiate with armed groups or remain outside their control. Investigations found that communities in Kachia Local Government Area, including Gidan Dogo, Ungwan Luka, Maikasuwa, Item, Maidorafi, Maidokufai, Mai-Goro, Gizago, Pachi, Akuru, Gidan Hassan, Gidan Ali, Aburon, Kabaude, Potai, Gidan Gaskiya, Gidan Audi, Banikanwa, Gabaciwa, Gidan Akau, Inugu, Gidan Gajere, Atufa, Impi Kadara, Impi Kuturmi, Sabo Vida and Ungwan Gimba, had entered into informal arrangements with armed groups.
Residents described the arrangements not as conventional peace agreements but as survival mechanisms reached under pressure after repeated attacks. They said conditions varied, but included demands for money or other goods, restrictions on movement, compulsory labour and demands connected to farming.
Jessy Francis, a resident of Mai-Ido Kufai, said residents initially believed negotiations might allow them to return home and resume normal life. He alleged that the arrangement did not deliver lasting peace and that women in some communities had suffered sexual violence. He also alleged that residents were compelled to cultivate farmland under the control of armed groups.
Danjuma Sunday, a displaced resident from Mai-Goro, said he fled the community in 2021 after surviving repeated attacks. He told investigators that residents initially supported negotiations because they believed they could reduce violence. He now lives in Kachia with his wife and children and sometimes returns to cultivate his farm despite the risks. He said security personnel were occasionally deployed, but residents believed armed groups withdrew temporarily and returned after troops left.
Not every community has accepted negotiations. Jashua Doka, the village head of Ariko, said his community rejected pressure to establish contact with the attackers. For some, negotiations are viewed as the only practical route to survival; for others, they risk legitimising armed groups and deepening their control.
Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Dr Suleiman Shuaibu, said he was not aware of the reported informal arrangements when contacted and promised to verify the claims. Attempts to obtain a response from the Kaduna State Police Command were unsuccessful at the time of publication, with its spokesperson, Mansir Hassan, reportedly not responding to calls or a text message.
The developments leave federal and state authorities facing a dual challenge: protecting communities from immediate attacks while creating conditions for displaced families to return safely. That requires sustained security operations, credible investigations, humanitarian assistance and reconstruction. Until residents can farm, travel and live in their communities without coercion, the reported displacement and forced negotiations will remain a measure of how deeply insecurity has disrupted civilian life across the region.
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