The Kaduna State Government has introduced a new peace initiative that offers bandits access to education, healthcare, and livelihood support in a bid to end years of violence in the state.
Commissioner for Information, Ahmed Maiyaki, announced the initiative (known as the Kaduna Peace Model) on Wednesday during a Peace Journalism workshop organised by the NUJ Correspondents’ Chapel in Kaduna.
Maiyaki said the policy represents a shift “from confrontation to conversation,” stressing that military action alone cannot secure lasting peace. “You cannot bomb peace into existence; you must build it with trust,” he stated.
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He explained that the government has moved away from paying off bandits and instead focused on reopening schools, markets, and hospitals in previously terrorised communities. “We didn’t give them money. What we gave was life back to communities long abandoned,” he said.
Between 2015 and 2023, Kaduna recorded 4,876 deaths from 1,160 security incidents, with thousands kidnapped. The new model, he noted, has already yielded results—over 500 abductees have been released without ransom, while ex-bandit leaders now act as peace mediators.
More than 500,000 hectares of farmland have been reclaimed, and trade has resumed in once-deserted areas. “Security without humanity is insecurity in disguise,” Maiyaki said, stressing that peace is more sustainable when communities are directly involved.
