The Kaduna State government has embraced a non-military peace initiative aimed at ending insecurity in the region by providing bandits with access to education, healthcare, and livelihood opportunities rather than dispensing cash incentives.
The state Commissioner for Information, Ahmed Maiyaki, revealed this strategy during a one-day Peace Journalism workshop organized by the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kaduna State Council.
Maiyaki described the approach, known as the Kaduna Peace Model, as a deliberate shift from “confrontation to conversation” to build peace through dialogue and community development rather than financial inducements. He emphasised, “You cannot bomb peace into existence; you must build it with trust.”
Changing tactics after years of devastating bandit attacks, the government chose to tackle the root social and economic causes of insecurity. Maiyaki recounted, “The turning point came when leaders of armed groups asked the government to reopen markets, schools, and healthcare centres that had been shut down because of insecurity. 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.”
Between 2015 and 2023, Kaduna State recorded 1,160 security incidents, resulting in 4,876 deaths and thousands of abductions. In 2021 alone, 1,192 people were killed and 3,348 abducted, forcing the closure of 142 schools and 192 health facilities across several local government areas. Maiyaki noted that the peace strategy, supported by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), focuses on intelligence sharing, dialogue, and socio-economic inclusion.
He disclosed that through the joint ONSA–Kaduna Peace Committee, more than 500 captives had been released “without the payment of ransom or resorting to force.”
This approach is fostering “trust where there was fear, and cooperation where there was hostility,” Maiyaki added.
A testament to the program’s success is how former bandit leaders such as “Jan Bros” and “Yellow One Million” have transformed into community peace mediators. Maiyaki explained, “The peace model works because it is owned by the people. Communities co-create peace instead of having it dictated by government.”
The initiative has yielded tangible benefits, including reclaiming over 500,000 hectares of farmland and the return of commercial activities to areas once deserted.
“Markets have reopened, and between 20 and 30 cattle trucks now move weekly on roads that were once feared by travellers,” Maiyaki said.
He asserted that the people “wanted dignity, not pity. Once they saw sincerity, they embraced peace.” Maiyaki stressed that the Kaduna Peace Model is an ongoing and inclusive process that engages community leaders, clerics, and traditional rulers.
“The Kaduna experience proves that security without humanity is insecurity in disguise.”Dr Fatima Shuaibu, Head of Department of Strategic Communication and Media Studies at Kaduna Polytechnic, reinforced the need for positive media narratives.
Therefore, Nigeria’s recurring conflicts were a result of mismanaged diversity and leadership failure.
