The Kaduna State Government says it has recovered more than 500,000 hectares of farmland previously controlled by bandits over the past three years, following improved security conditions that have enabled farmers to return to their communities and resume agricultural activities.
The state Commissioner for Information and Culture, Ahmed Maiyaki, disclosed this on Sunday at a gala night organised by the Kano Correspondents’ Chapel as part of its annual retreat in Kaduna.
Maiyaki said the recovery of the farmlands was a result of improved security measures and community-led initiatives that had helped restore access to rural areas previously affected by banditry.
According to him, bandits had at some point exercised significant control over rural communities, restricting the activities of residents and interfering with farming and other aspects of community life.
“It was so bad that farmers could not go to their farms. But today, with community-led security and early warning systems, peace has returned, and our farmers are back on the land,” Maiyaki said.
He said the state government had adopted a combination of kinetic security operations and non-kinetic measures, including the involvement of traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth groups and other community stakeholders.
Maiyaki said the approach was intended not only to respond to security threats after they occurred but also to identify potential flashpoints and prevent them from developing into major conflicts.
He disclosed that 75 potential threats were detected between 2023 and early 2026, with 70 successfully addressed, thereby preventing what could have resulted in communal or religious clashes.
The commissioner said the improved security situation had also allowed the government to increase investment in agriculture, with the sector’s budgetary allocation rising from N1.4bn in 2023 to more than N100bn in 2026.
He said the increased funding had supported interventions including the free distribution of fertiliser to farmers.
According to Maiyaki, the interventions had contributed to increased agricultural yields, with maize production reportedly rising from about three bags per hectare to as many as 22 bags per hectare.
The commissioner said the government was focusing on the impact of its policies on residents rather than simply measuring the processes involved in implementing them.
He linked the approach to efforts to improve food security, strengthen rural livelihoods and restore economic activities in communities previously affected by insecurity.
The recovery of farmland has also attracted commendation from the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, which described the development as a major security, humanitarian and economic milestone.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, the association commended Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani and the state security agencies over the reported recovery of the farmland.
HURIWA said the development should not be viewed merely as a security statistic because access to agricultural land is directly connected to the livelihoods of rural communities.
“When armed groups occupy rural communities and prevent legitimate residents from accessing their homes, farms and ancestral lands, the consequences go far beyond physical displacement,” the association said.
According to HURIWA, prolonged occupation of rural areas by armed groups can disrupt food production, weaken local economies, interrupt children’s education and separate families.
The association said restoring access to farmlands could therefore contribute to the wider economic and humanitarian recovery of communities affected by insecurity.
While commending the state government and security agencies, HURIWA urged the administration to sustain the reported security gains and ensure that recovered communities and farmlands were fully restored to their legitimate owners.
The group called for what it described as a comprehensive “recover, restore and rebuild” programme covering displaced residents and their properties.
It said such a programme should include identifying displaced landowners, documenting and verifying ownership claims and facilitating the safe and dignified return of affected residents.
HURIWA also called on the Kaduna Government to provide returning communities with the infrastructure and services required to make their return sustainable.
These, it said, should include security, roads, schools, healthcare facilities, water and electricity.
“Reclaiming territory without rebuilding the social and economic infrastructure of affected communities could leave residents vulnerable to renewed displacement,” HURIWA advised.
The association further called for special support for farmers whose productive activities had been disrupted by insecurity.
It recommended access to agricultural inputs, credit facilities, farming equipment and extension services to help affected farmers rebuild their livelihoods.
HURIWA also supported the continued strengthening of community-based early-warning mechanisms, noting that residents often have information that can help authorities identify emerging threats.
It urged the state government to involve traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth organisations, women’s groups, farmers’ associations and displaced persons in peacebuilding and community-recovery efforts.
“Lasting peace cannot be achieved through military operations alone. It requires sustained dialogue, justice, reconciliation, community trust, economic recovery and a credible system for resolving disputes before they become violent,” the association argued.
On security and accountability, HURIWA urged security agencies to identify, arrest and prosecute perpetrators of banditry in accordance with the law.
It also appealed to the Federal Government to provide states with adequate intelligence, equipment and personnel to prevent armed groups from regrouping and returning to communities from which they had been displaced.
The association described the reported farmland recovery as “an important beginning”, saying the long-term measure of the intervention would be whether displaced residents could safely return to their homes and farms.
It said affected residents should ultimately be able to cultivate their land, send their children to school and conduct their businesses without fear.
Beyond the agriculture sector, Maiyaki also highlighted infrastructure projects implemented across 12 local government areas of Kaduna State.
He said road construction and rehabilitation had improved connectivity, reduced travel time and helped minimise post-harvest losses.
According to the commissioner, improved roads had also enhanced emergency response by making it easier for security agencies to reach communities when distress calls were received.
He added that better road networks had made it easier for farmers to transport agricultural produce to markets while also improving access to schools for children in rural areas.
The commissioner also gave an account of developments in the education sector, saying the number of out-of-school children in the state had fallen from 550,000 to 187,000.
He added that tuition fees had been reduced by 50 per cent and scholarships worth N1.3bn introduced.
In the health sector, Maiyaki said maternal deaths had declined by nearly 20 per cent, while 205 primary healthcare centres had been upgraded.
He also said 1,800 health workers had been recruited annually as part of efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery across the state.
Transportation was another area highlighted by the commissioner, who said the introduction of free compressed natural gas buses had provided transportation for 3.6 million people within one year.
According to him, the initiative had saved residents an estimated N3.8bn in transportation costs.
Maiyaki said the buses had also helped improve the productivity of civil servants by making it easier for them to get to work on time and reducing the proportion of their income spent on transportation.
The commissioner stressed that the administration was assessing its interventions according to their impact on residents rather than focusing solely on government processes.
“Security is the foundation. Without it, we cannot achieve anything in health, education, or agriculture. Today, Kaduna is setting benchmarks for others to follow,” he said.
The commissioner’s presentation came as journalists from Kano gathered in Kaduna for their annual retreat.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Kano Correspondents’ Chapel, Murtala Adewale, said the journalists were in the state for the annual retreat, which was themed, “2027 General Elections: Navigating Legal, Security and Ethical Challenges in the Media.”
The reported recovery of farmland comes at a time when access to agricultural land remains closely linked to the security and economic wellbeing of rural communities affected by banditry.
For Kaduna, the state government says improved security has allowed farmers to return to land that was previously inaccessible, while HURIWA has urged the government to complement the security gains with reconstruction, infrastructure and livelihood support.
The rights group said sustaining the recovery would require continued protection of communities and measures to ensure that farmers can remain on their land without renewed threats.
It also stressed the importance of preventing armed groups from exploiting unresolved disputes or economic vulnerabilities to regain influence in rural communities.
West Trybe reports that the Kaduna State Government says more than 500,000 hectares of farmland previously controlled by bandits have been recovered over the past three years, with the government linking the development to improved security and community-led early-warning mechanisms. HURIWA has welcomed the reported recovery while calling for the safe return of displaced residents, restoration of basic infrastructure and sustained support for affected farmers.
