Kaduna Offered Bandits Education, Livelihood Support To End Killings, Kidnappings — Commissioner

The Kaduna State Government has said it offered bandits access to education, healthcare, and livelihood opportunities rather than cash incentives as part of efforts to end years of killings and kidnappings in the state.

Commissioner for Information, Malam Ahmed Maiyaki, stated this on Wednesday during a one-day workshop on Peace Journalism organised by the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kaduna State Council, in collaboration with the Global Peace Foundation Nigeria and the Kaduna State Ministry of Information.

Maiyaki explained that the initiative, known as the Kaduna Peace Model, was designed as a shift from “confrontation to conversation,” aimed at building peace through dialogue and development instead of financial appeasement.

“You can not bomb peace into existence; you must build it with trust,” he said.

According to him, the state government deliberately moved away from the use of force after years of devastating attacks, focusing instead on addressing the social and economic roots of insecurity.

“The turning point came when leaders of armed groups asked government to reopen markets, schools, and healthcare centres that had been shut down because of insecurity,” Maiyaki explained.

“We agreed because these are basic human needs, not ransom payments. We didn’t give them a dime. What we gave was life back to communities long abandoned.”

He noted that between 2015 and 2023, Kaduna State recorded 1,160 security incidents, resulting in 4,876 deaths, with thousands more kidnapped or displaced.

“By 2021 alone, 1,192 people were killed and 3,348 abducted, leading to the closure of 142 schools and 192 health facilities across several local government areas,” he added.

The Commissioner said the new peace strategy, supported by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), emphasised intelligence sharing, dialogue, and socio-economic inclusion.

He disclosed that through the joint ONSA–Kaduna Peace Committee, more than 500 captives had been safely released via negotiations “without the payment of ransom or resorting to force.”

“We are seeing trust where there was fear and cooperation where there was hostility,” Maiyaki said.

He cited examples of former bandit leaders such as “Jan Bros” and “Yellow One Million,” who now serve as community peace mediators, helping to maintain stability in previously volatile areas.

“The peace model works because it is owned by the people. Communities co-create peace instead of having it dictated by government,” he added.

According to Maiyaki, over 500,000 hectares of farmland have been recovered under the peace initiative, with agricultural and commercial activities gradually returning to areas once under siege.

“Markets have reopened, and between 20 and 30 cattle trucks now move weekly on roads that were once feared by travellers,” he said.

He described every reopened school, clinic, and marketplace as “a victory over fear,” stressing that dialogue and inclusion had achieved what military operations could not.

“Our people wanted dignity, not pity. Once they saw sincerity, they embraced peace,” he said.

Maiyaki, however, clarified that the process was not a one-off truce but an ongoing engagement involving traditional rulers, clerics, and community leaders to prevent a relapse into violence.

The Commissioner said the Kaduna Peace Model had become a continuous and evolving process rooted in trust and shared ownership.

“Peace is cheaper, deeper, and more enduring when people have a stake in it,” he maintained. “The Kaduna experience proves that security without humanity is insecurity in disguise.”

Earlier in her presentation, the guest lecturer, Mrs. Fatima Omone Shuaibu, Head of Department, Strategic Communication and Media Studies at Kaduna Polytechnic, said Nigeria’s recurring conflicts were a product of mismanaged diversity and leadership failure.

She urged journalists to promote narratives that encourage unity and coexistence rather than division.

“The media must deliberately emphasise solution-oriented stories that strengthen peace and social cohesion,” she said. “When we misreport conflicts, we deepen wounds instead of healing them.”

In his remarks, the Country Director of the Global Peace Foundation Nigeria, Rev. Joseph Hayab emphasised the critical role of peace reporting in national transformation.

He said journalists should focus on stories that foster reconciliation, mutual understanding, and national healing.

“Media must be a bridge, not a barrier,” Hayab said. “Every story of peace you tell helps shape public perception and strengthens our shared humanity.”

Also speaking, the Chairman of the NUJ Correspondents’ Chapel, Kaduna State, Maryam Ahmadu-Suka, said the workshop was organised to equip reporters with skills in conflict-sensitive journalism and to promote the Kaduna Peace Model as a framework for unity and development.

She urged journalists in the state to amplify peacebuilding efforts and contribute to restoring confidence in communities affected by years of insecurity.ENDS.

PHOTOS CAPTION:

Pix 1- Commissioner of Information, Malam Ahmed Maiyaki, Country Director Global Peace Foundation, Rev John Joseph Hayab and Chairman Kaduna Correspondents’ Chapel, Hajia Maryam Ahmadu-Suka