The Kaduna State Government says it is now offering bandits access to education, healthcare, and livelihood opportunities as part of a deliberate non-kinetic strategy to end years of killings, kidnappings, and community displacement in the state.

The state’s Commissioner for Information, Malam Ahmed Maiyaki, disclosed this on Wednesday during a one-day workshop on Peace Journalism organised by the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kaduna, in partnership with the Global Peace Foundation Nigeria and the Ministry of Information.

Maiyaki said the peace initiative, known as the Kaduna Peace Model, represents a bold departure from the traditional confrontational approach to insecurity.

According to him, the state chose to prioritise dialogue, development, and community rebuilding rather than financial settlements or ransom payments.

“You cannot bomb peace into existence; you must build it with trust,” he told participants at the workshop.

He explained that the turning point came when leaders of armed groups made a specific request: reopening of rural markets, schools, and healthcare centres previously shut down because of persistent attacks.

“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,” Maiyaki said.

Painting a grim picture of the security challenges Kaduna has faced, the commissioner said the state recorded:

1,160 security incidents from 2015 to 2023,
4,876 deaths,
Thousands kidnapped or displaced,
142 schools and 192 health facilities shut down at the height of attacks.

He noted that in 2021 alone, the state witnessed 1,192 killings and 3,348 abductions, numbers that plunged several communities into silence and fear.

Kaduna, he added, was once labelled a “red zone” by the international community, a status the state is now striving to overturn.

Maiyaki said the state’s current approach, anchored on intelligence sharing, dialogue, and socio-economic inclusion, is gradually restoring peace.

The model is being implemented through a joint mechanism between the Kaduna Government and the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), known as the ONSA–Kaduna Peace Committee.

According to him, this collaboration has led to the safe release of more than 500 captives without any ransom payment or use of force.

“We are seeing trust where there was fear, and cooperation where there was hostility,” The commissioner said.

Maiyaki expressed optimism that Kaduna is on the path to rebuilding its image after years of being viewed as one of Nigeria’s most dangerous states.

He insisted that the government’s peace-building approach does not amount to rewarding criminality but rather restoring humanity and reviving abandoned communities.

The commissioner also urged journalists to practise peace-sensitive reporting, saying the media must play a constructive role in quelling tensions and supporting community reconciliation.

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