Kaduna reclaims 500,000 hectares from bandits, commissioner says

The Kaduna State Government has recovered over 500,000 hectares of land previously controlled by bandits. According to the state Commissioner for Information and Culture, Ahmed Maiyaki, this was made possible by improved security measures that have enabled farmers to return to their farms.

Bandits had previously exercised control over rural communities, imposing taxes on residents, dictating farming activities, and collecting dowries. However, with community-led security and early warning systems in place, peace has returned, and farmers are back on the land.

The government combined kinetic operations with non-kinetic measures by empowering traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth groups, and other stakeholders to participate in efforts to tackle insecurity. Between 2023 and early 2026, 75 potential threats were detected, with 70 successfully addressed, preventing possible communal or religious clashes, as reported by Daily Trust.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch, Punch Nigeria, Daily Post Nigeria, Daily Trust — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.