Kaduna State reclaims 500,000 hectares of farmland from bandits

The Kaduna State Government has reclaimed more than 500,000 hectares of farmland previously controlled by bandits. Ahmed Maiyaki, the Commissioner for Information and Culture, announced that three years of intensified security operations have allowed displaced farmers to return to their fields to resume planting and harvesting.

According to Maiyaki, the state utilized a combination of kinetic operations and non-kinetic strategies, including empowering traditional rulers, religious leaders, and youth groups. These efforts, alongside community-led security and early warning systems, have helped mitigate the insecurity that previously forced farmers to abandon their lands due to banditry and kidnapping.

The recovery of these territories is expected to boost local crop yields and address food insecurity. The state has also increased its agricultural budgetary allocation from ₦1.4 billion in 2023 to over ₦100 billion for 2026. Additionally, free fertilizer distribution has reportedly increased maize yields from three bags per hectare to as many as 22 bags.