The Kaduna State Government has introduced a new peace initiative offering bandits access to education, healthcare, and livelihood support as part of efforts to end years of killings and kidnappings in the state.
Commissioner for Information, Malam Ahmed Maiyaki, disclosed this at a Peace Journalism workshop in Kaduna organized by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Correspondents’ Chapel, Global Peace Foundation Nigeria, and the Ministry of Information.
According to Maiyaki, the initiative—called the Kaduna Peace Model—marks a shift from “confrontation to conversation,” prioritizing dialogue, trust-building, and development over the use of force or ransom payments. “You cannot bomb peace into existence; you must build it with trust,” he said.
He explained that the breakthrough came when armed group leaders requested the reopening of schools, markets, and health centres that had been closed due to insecurity. “We agreed because these are basic human needs, not ransom payments. What we gave was life back to communities,” he added.
Between 2015 and 2023, Kaduna recorded 1,160 security incidents resulting in 4,876 deaths and thousands of kidnappings. In 2021 alone, 1,192 people were killed and 3,348 abducted, leading to the closure of 142 schools and 192 health facilities.
Maiyaki noted that through collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the Kaduna Peace Committee, over 500 hostages have been safely released without ransom or force. He expressed optimism that the state, once labeled a “red zone,” is now rebuilding its image through non-kinetic measures emphasizing dialogue, intelligence sharing, and socio-economic inclusion.
“We are seeing trust where there was fear, and cooperation where there was hostility,” he said.
Kaduna remains one of Nigeria’s worst-hit states by bandit attacks. Just last week, two police officers were killed in an attack on the Divisional Police Headquarters in Zonkwa, Southern Kaduna.
