Bandits Push Into Kaduna Outskirts As Residents Abandon Homes Over Kidnappings

Bandits terrorising parts of Kaduna State appear to be expanding their operations towards the outskirts of Kaduna metropolis, with residents of communities along the Sir Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa dual carriageway now living under growing fear of kidnappings.

For residents of communities tucked away along the Yakowa Road axis, darkness has taken on a different meaning.

By 7 p.m., business activities and social life in the once peaceful communities are largely halted as residents lock their doors, abandon roads and suspend movements, while some families have sought refuge elsewhere until the following morning.

Residents said they regularly wake up to reports of kidnappings around Bagado, Kamazou Rimi, Angwan Makama, Angwan Waziri, Baban Saura, Mararaban Rido and other settlements adjoining Millennium City.

The development has heightened concerns that banditry, previously associated largely with rural communities and highways, is increasingly becoming an urban security threat.

A few days before the attack on Babban Saura, suspected bandits reportedly invaded Kadaure community, also in Chikun Local Government Area, killing a man and rustling his cattle.

Then, on Thursday, October 1, suspected bandits invaded Babban Saura at about 1 a.m., attacking three houses.

They reportedly killed a resident identified as Sikiru after he resisted them, before abducting his wife and two children.

In a neighbouring house, a woman and her four children were also abducted.

Following a distress call, local vigilantes alerted soldiers, who joined them in pursuing the attackers towards the Eastern Bypass.

The security team succeeded in rescuing the woman, identified as Maman Mubarak, but her four children and other victims remained in the custody of the fleeing bandits.

The commander of the local vigilantes in the area, Usman Adamu, confirmed the incident, saying the vigilantes received a distress call and alerted soldiers, who joined them in pursuing the attackers.

He said they trailed the bandits to the Eastern Bypass and rescued Maman Mubarak, whose four children were among those abducted.

At Bagado community, a resident who spoke in confidence said normal life effectively ends at about 5 p.m.

“We only manage to do a few things here at Bagado community off Yakowa Way in daytime.

“Once it is 5 p.m., the community is deserted because the bandits terrorising Millennium City, which is less than a kilometre from here, are now coming here to kidnap people, fully armed.

“It is not easy to leave your personal house and be squatting somewhere else. You will learn to endure so many things,” the resident said.

The resident said the situation had persisted for about four months, adding that some men who remain in the community were unable to sleep properly at night because they take turns keeping watch.

Another resident said his family had abandoned their home and relocated to a rented apartment in Barnawa, Kaduna South Local Government Area.

“My family and I have abandoned our house. We are now in a rented apartment in far-away Barnawa.

“We believe that is better than trauma and ransom if one is unlucky.

“In our case, there is a big private school close to my gate. So, we are afraid these bandits may think that we are the owners of the school and come for us,” he said.

The resident called for the establishment of an army post around Millennium City, alleging that criminal elements operating from the area were attacking adjoining communities.

For commercial motorcycle operators transporting residents in and out of the communities, the security situation has also become a source of concern.

One operator, who declined to be named, urged this correspondent to leave the area before nightfall.

“Bros, this place is not safe again. Let me take you out of here before darkness falls.

“Let us enter the rain because it is better to get wet than to get kidnapped here.

“These guys are entering these communities as they like.

“Just a few days ago, they kidnapped five families and a footballer.

“Even we who ride Bajaj, once it is getting late, we fear going to some of these communities no matter the amount you want to pay. It is that bad,” he said.

Although the affected communities are located in Chikun Local Government Area, they are within the wider Kaduna urban environment, making their security situation particularly significant.

A motorcycle ride from parts of Kaduna city to some of the communities costs between N300 and N400, while poor access roads can make the journey take between 10 and 25 minutes.

Residents said the proximity to the metropolis had heightened their fears that insecurity was gradually expanding into urban areas rather than remaining confined to distant rural settlements.

Some residents of Millennium City have also alleged that certain individuals provide information to kidnappers for financial rewards, with payments reportedly ranging from N10,000 to N200,000 depending on the perceived financial status of targets.

The insecurity has also triggered displacement, with residents from areas around Angwan Zauri, Juji, Rido village, Mararaban Rido and their outskirts reportedly relocating to communities considered relatively safer.

The movement, residents said, had contributed to rising house rents in parts of Kaduna and put additional pressure on households already struggling with the rising cost of living.

For some families, insecurity has therefore become more than a question of physical safety.

It has affected where they live, how they work, how their children move around and how much they spend to maintain a semblance of normal life.

The Kaduna State Government, however, said it was strengthening the state’s community security architecture, particularly the Kaduna Vigilance Service, KADVIS, as the first layer of security at the community level.

Speaking recently on the sidelines of a Kukah Centre-led event in Kaduna, the Permanent Secretary, Kaduna State Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Bashir Mohammed, said the development of standard operating procedures for KADVIS was critical to improving its effectiveness.

He said the guidelines would clarify who should do what, how it should be done and when it should be done, including procedures for transferring cases beyond KADVIS’ capacity to appropriate security and law enforcement agencies.

Mohammed said the state government had also taken steps to strengthen the vigilance service through reorganisation, training and improved remuneration.

“With the coming of the administration of Governor Uba Sani, one of the first things he did was to reorganise KADVIS, provide training and fund capacity-building programmes,” he said.

He added that about 1,000 KADVIS personnel had been trained, while a structured remuneration system had been developed to improve their morale and effectiveness.

The ongoing debate over the state police bill before the National Assembly and state assemblies could also alter the security architecture if the proposed legislation is passed and receives presidential assent.

For residents along the Yakowa Road axis, however, the immediate question is whether existing interventions can translate into visible protection in communities where fear now begins before nightfall.

Their accounts also point to a broader challenge in securing rapidly expanding urban fringes, where poor roads and settlements bordering bush paths can create opportunities for criminal groups.

If communities only a few kilometres from the heart of Kaduna become so insecure that residents abandon their homes, the implications extend to urban planning, policing, community intelligence, emergency response and public confidence in government.

With the 2027 general elections approaching, security in Kaduna’s urban and semi-urban communities could also assume greater importance as political activities, campaigns and increased movement of people place additional pressure on vulnerable areas.

For residents of these communities, development projects and social interventions will mean little if they cannot feel safe enough to remain in their homes and sleep without fear of kidnapping.