Kaduna govt recovers 500,000 hectares of farmland from bandits – Commissioner claims

About 500,000 hectares of farmland previously occupied by bandits in Kaduna State have been recovered following improved security measures by the state government, enabling farmers to return to their farms.

The state Commissioner for Information and Culture, Ahmed Maiyaki, disclosed this at a gala night organised by the Kano Correspondents’ Chapel as part of its annual retreat in Kaduna.

Maiyaki explained that the state government’s efforts to tackle insecurity had yielded positive results in parts of the state.

He said bandits previously controlled rural communities, imposed taxes, dictated farming activities and even collected dowries that residents were expected to pay.

He observed that the situation had become so bad that farmers could no longer access their farms, but said peace had now returned to the affected communities through community-led security initiatives and early warning systems.

According to him, “The administration had combined kinetic measures with non-kinetic approaches by empowering traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth groups and other stakeholders to play active roles in the fight against insecurity.”

Maiyaki said 75 potential security threats were detected between 2023 and early 2026, with 70 successfully addressed, thereby preventing possible communal or religious clashes.

He said improved security had also enabled the government to increase investment in agriculture, with budgetary allocation rising from ₦1.4 billion in 2023 to over ₦100 billion in 2026.

According to him, the increased investment had facilitated the free distribution of fertiliser to farmers, helping to improve yields from three bags per hectare to as many as 22 bags of maize.

He said the government’s focus on outcomes was helping to reduce food insecurity and restore dignity to rural communities.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Kano Correspondents’ Chapel, Murtala Adewale, said the journalists were in Kaduna for their annual retreat, themed, “2027 General Elections: Navigating Legal, Security and Ethical Challenges in the Media.”