No fewer than 100 communities in Southern Kaduna have reportedly been deserted by residents following years of attacks by armed groups, with some affected communities allegedly forced to negotiate with the assailants to survive.
The affected areas span several local government areas, including Kachia, Kajuru, Kagarko, Chikun and Birnin Gwari, according to findings.
The National President of the Southern Kaduna Peoples’ Union, Tabara Kato, put the number of displaced communities at over 100, while a former spokesman of the organisation, Luka Binniyat, claimed that as many as 245 communities had been sacked as of June 2026.
Kato also said about 35,402 people had been displaced across the state as a result of the attacks.
The latest major attack cited in the report occurred on July 26 at Naridon Village in Kamaru Ward, Kauru Local Government Area, where at least 30 residents, including eight children, were reportedly killed during an attack that lasted about three hours.
Kato attributed the persistent violence largely to alleged attempts to seize land and control natural resources.
He claimed that some of the attacks were being carried out by armed groups allegedly sponsored by individuals seeking to displace indigenous residents and take control of communities believed to possess valuable mineral resources.
Kato alleged that some deserted communities had subsequently been occupied by strangers and, in certain cases, renamed.
He said the displaced residents were enduring difficult conditions, with some taking refuge in Internally Displaced Persons camps where they struggled to meet their basic needs.
Kato called on the Federal Government and security agencies to investigate the alleged financiers of the attacks, arguing that apprehending the gunmen without identifying those behind them would not permanently resolve the crisis.
He said security agencies had the capacity to trace the sponsors if they were given the political backing to conduct thorough investigations.
Binniyat, who is also the spokesman of the Middle Belt Forum, expressed concern about the growing number of displaced persons and the security implications of abandoned communities.
He claimed that about 150,000 people had been displaced in Southern Kaduna alone, adding that 245 communities had allegedly been sacked by armed groups as of June.
According to him, the worst affected areas include Kachia, Kajuru, Kagarko and Chikun, as well as some Gbagyi communities in Birnin Gwari.
Binniyat warned that the abandoned settlements had created large ungoverned spaces that could serve as hideouts for kidnappers and other armed groups.
He called for a coordinated security operation to dislodge the attackers, dismantle their camps and create the conditions necessary for displaced residents to return home safely.
He also urged the Federal and Kaduna State governments to rebuild communities destroyed during the attacks and provide support for displaced residents.
Meanwhile, investigations revealed that some communities in Kachia Local Government Area had resorted to informal agreements with armed groups in a desperate attempt to reduce attacks.
Residents said the arrangements, which were initially intended to secure peace, had allegedly evolved into systems where villagers were subjected to demands and restrictions imposed by the armed groups.
The residents alleged that the conditions varied between communities but included financial payments, restrictions on movement, compulsory labour and other forms of coercion.
A resident of Mai-Ido Kufai, Jessy Francis, said community members agreed to negotiate because they hoped the move would enable them to return home and live without fear of further attacks.
However, he said the arrangement failed to produce the lasting peace residents had anticipated.
Francis further alleged that women in some communities had suffered sexual violence, while residents were sometimes forced to work on farmlands controlled by the armed groups.
Another displaced resident, Danjuma Sunday, from Mai-Goro, said he fled the community in 2021 after surviving repeated attacks.
Sunday said residents initially embraced negotiations in the belief that the arrangement would reduce violence, but the situation did not improve.
He said he now resides in Kachia with his family but occasionally returns to his farm despite the security risks.
According to him, security personnel were sometimes deployed to the affected areas, but residents alleged that the attackers often withdrew temporarily and returned after the troops left.
However, the Village Head of Ariko, Jashua Doka, said his community had refused to negotiate with the armed groups despite pressure from neighbouring communities.
Doka said some settlements that had established contact with the attackers had urged Ariko to do the same, but he rejected the suggestion.
Meanwhile, the Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Dr Suleiman Shuaibu, said he was unaware of the alleged peace arrangements.
Shuaibu promised to verify the claims before responding.
Efforts to obtain the reaction of the Kaduna State Police Command were unsuccessful, as its spokesperson, Mansir Hassan, reportedly neither answered calls nor responded to a text message sent to him before the report was filed.