More than 500,000 hectares of farmland previously under the control of bandits have been recovered in Kaduna State, with the government saying farmers are now returning to areas once considered too dangerous to cultivate.
Kaduna State Commissioner for Information and Culture, Ahmed Maiyaki, made the disclosure on Sunday at a gala night held during the Kano Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists’ annual retreat in Kaduna.
Maiyaki attributed the development to improved security measures introduced over the past three years, saying the government has combined conventional security operations with community-based strategies to restore access to rural communities and agricultural land.
He said the situation in some parts of the state had previously become so severe that bandits controlled communities, imposed levies, influenced farming activities and prevented residents from freely accessing their farms.
“It was so bad that farmers could not go to their farms,” the commissioner said, adding that “with community-led security and early warning systems, peace has returned, and our farmers are back on the land.”
Maiyaki said the government had also strengthened collaboration with traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth groups and other local stakeholders as part of its strategy to tackle insecurity.
He disclosed that security agencies and community structures detected 75 potential threats between 2023 and early 2026, with 70 of those threats successfully dealt with before they developed into communal or religious clashes.
The commissioner linked the security gains to renewed agricultural activity across the state. He said Kaduna’s agricultural allocation increased dramatically from N1.4 billion in 2023 to more than N100 billion in 2026.
The funding has supported farmers through the provision of fertiliser and other inputs, with Maiyaki reporting that maize production had improved from an average of three bags per hectare to as much as 22 bags per hectare in some locations.
The recovery of the farmland represents a major shift for farming communities that had been affected by banditry. Farmers who were previously unable to access their fields can now resume cultivation, while increased agricultural activity could strengthen food production and rural commerce.
Maiyaki said the government’s security strategy was focused not only on confronting threats but also on creating conditions where communities could rebuild their livelihoods.
The journalists’ retreat, which brought the Kano Correspondents’ Chapel to Kaduna, focused on the theme, “2027 General Elections: Navigating Legal, Security and Ethical Challenges in the Media.”
