Kaduna says 500,000 hectares of farmland recovered from bandits

Kaduna State officials say farmers have returned to large areas of land previously controlled by bandits after security measures opened up rural communities again.

The state Commissioner for Information and Culture, Ahmed Maiyaki, said more than 500,000 hectares of farmland had been recovered in the past three years. He spoke at a gala night organised by the Kano Correspondents’ Chapel during its retreat in Kaduna.

Maiyaki said bandits had once controlled some rural communities, imposed taxes, dictated farming activities and even collected dowries. He said the situation had improved through community-led security work, early warning systems and the involvement of traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth groups and other local actors.

Daily Trust quoted him as saying farmers could not go to their farms before the security push, but had now returned to the land. Daily Post also reported the same claim and said the government linked the recovery to both security operations and community engagement.

The commissioner said 75 potential threats were detected between 2023 and early 2026, with 70 of them addressed before they became wider communal or religious clashes.

He also linked the security gains to higher agricultural spending. According to the reports, Kaduna’s agriculture budget rose from N1.4bn in 2023 to more than N100bn in 2026, with part of the money used for free fertiliser distribution.

The claim comes after months of separate reports on killings, cattle losses and rural insecurity in Kaduna. The new point from the state government is that it says some of the land previously outside farmers’ reach is now being used again.

Sources: Daily Trust, Daily Post