ON May 29, 2023, the Governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani, assumed office after taking over from his predecessor, Nasir El-Rufai, whose tenure was marred by bloodshed, violent attacks, and widespread unrest.
In his inaugural address, Sani expressed his desire for a peaceful and united Kaduna State, promising to reshape it and make it a model of development, ethnic harmony, and cooperation.
“Kaduna State has had its fair share of bloodletting and unnecessary destruction. To this end, this administration will invest heavily in all legally permissible efforts, including deploying technology for security and law enforcement. We shall be assisting the activities of the police, the military, para-military and other security agencies in the state,” he said.
“We shall also engage traditional, religious institutions and community leaders to ensure effective intelligence gathering and work towards peaceful and harmonious coexistence within the various communities.”
The ICIR reports that Kaduna State was likened to a killing field during the era of Sani’s predecessor, Nasir El-Rufai. Kidnappers, abductors and insurgents took over many parts of the state and unleashed mayhem on innocent people, including women and children.
According to filtered data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED), between May 29, 2015, and May 29, 2023, when El-Rufai governed the state for eight years, a total of 1,660 insecurity incidents were reported, leading to the death of 4,876 people.
The escalation of violence in Kaduna began almost immediately after El-Rufai took office. In 2015, there were 356 deaths from 24 violent incidents, marking the start of a troubling trend. Each year thereafter, the state grappled with complex crises such as banditry, ethno-religious violence, and militia attacks. By 2021, the situation peaked, with 1,225 fatalities from 480 incidents, and the trend continued.
A highlight of this period was the March 28, 2022, Abuja-Kaduna train attack, where terrorists derailed a passenger train, killing eight people and abducting dozens. This brazen assault on critical infrastructure paralysed movement on one of the most important transport routes between Nigeria’s capital and the north.
Another bloody episode occurred in March 2022 when heavily armed bandits stormed several villages in Giwa LGA, killing over 50 people in coordinated raids. Villages such as Kuda and Marke were left in ruins, with survivors recounting how their homes were torched, livestock stolen, and loved ones executed.
The ICIR reports how Southern Kaduna was turned into a battlefield due to crisis. One of the most devastating attacks in the area occurred on December 18, 2022, when terrorists attacked the Malagum 1 and Sokong communities, resulting in the deaths of 40 villagers. This incident followed the familiar pattern of targeted attacks by suspected Fulani militias, perpetuating a cycle of revenge killings and distrust between communities.
Between 2015 and 2022, Kaduna experienced over 3,600 fatalities from armed violence, according to the ACLED, with recurring patterns of attacks on farming communities, religiously motivated massacres, and government security crackdowns.
Terrorists turned the state into a war zone and made travelling from there to Abuja a nightmare with impudent attacks on road, rail and air facilities. The growing infamy was despite the heavy presence of the military and police in the state.
Data gathered showed that the insecurity crisis and related killings were more predominant in El-Rufai’s second tenure as governor than in the first four years. Between May 29, 2015, and the end of 2019, a total of 1,432 people were killed. Note that the governor’s first tenure ended on May 29, 2019.
However, between 2020 and when El-Rufai handed over to Uba Sani, on May 29, 2023, the number of deaths reported rose to 3,444. This is twice the fatality rate recorded in the first four years of his administration.
El-Rufai, while explaining what the state government had done to combat insecurity in 2021, lamented that the failure to sustain cooperation among northern states contributed largely to insecurity in the region.
The former governor came out in October 2022 to admit that despite the effort of the state government to end the crisis, the federal government, which should be in charge of security, seemed to have abdicated its duties.
“I can tell you that we have done our best to tackle insecurity in Kaduna State, but we are being hampered by the structure which lies with the federal government. You may call this resignation, you may call it surrender, but it is not abdication,” he said in an interview.
Kaduna security under Uba Sani
Speaking at the inauguration of the rehabilitation of the Kabbala-Costain Road in March, Sani indicated that the security situation in the state had improved under his administration, a view held by many observers.
“In Kaduna State today, we are not experiencing any religious crisis; we’re not experiencing any community crisis in Kaduna State. In the last 20 months, we have not experienced any of these unfortunate incidents,” he said.
However, data analysed by the ICIR shows that the number of fatalities and incidents has only declined slightly since he assumed office. Insecurity reached alarming levels in Kaduna State during the final two years of Nasir El-Rufai’s administration, with the state recording 1,225 and 1,074 deaths and 480 and 419 insecurity incidents in 2021 and 2022, respectively – the highest in decades. But the number of killings decreased to 546 and 816, while incidents reduced to 259 and 397 cases in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
Findings by The ICIR reveal that the crisis persisted into Uba Sani’s tenure, with bandit attacks on communities continuing. In fact, the number of incidents and deaths reported during the new administration’s first year exceeded those recorded during the first two years of El-Rufai’s tenure. In El-Rufai’s first two years in office, 52 incidents were reported, with 556 fatalities recorded. However, during Uba Sani first two years, 1,362 deaths have been recorded from 656 incidents.
For instance, on 11 December 2024, a Kaduna militia group clashed with the Nigerian army and the vigilantes in Chibiya (Kajuru, Kaduna) during which 8 soldiers, 1 vigilante, and an unspecified number of attackers were killed.
On 11 August 2024, the Buda community members attacked and killed eight people in the Chibiya community (Kajuru, Kaduna) over the allegation of being informants to the militia group that killed people in their community, coded separately.
In addition, on May 29, 2024, terrorists attacked and killed 12 persons at Maro Junction, a weekly Market in Maro Ward, Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
On April 24, 2025, bandits killed at least three people and abducted eight others in an attack on Hayan Habuja village of Kakangi ward in Birnin-Gwari Local Government Area. The attack came just five days after 23 people were killed by bandits at Anguwan Danko community near the Dogon Dawa district in the eastern part of the local government.
Have things changed under Uba Sani?
Since assuming office in May 2023, Governor Uba Sani has implemented a multifaceted strategy to address insecurity in Kaduna State. His approach encompasses both kinetic and non-kinetic measures.
Shortly after assuming office, he held an emergency security meeting with some traditional rulers and heads of security agencies over the security situation in the state.
The meeting, which was held in August 2023 behind closed doors at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim Government House, Kaduna, followed the resurgence of kidnappings and bandit attacks in Soba, Zaria, Birnin-Gwari and some other parts of the state.
It featured key traditional rulers, including members of the state security souncil, including the deputy governor, Hadiza Balarabe; Emir of Zazzau, Nuhu Bamalli; Emir of Birnin-Gwari; Commissioner of Police; Director, State Security Services; and the representatives of the military and paramilitary agencies.
In September 2023, Uba Sani announced the expansion of the KADVS by recruiting 7,000 additional personnel, increasing the total force to 9,000 members. These recruits, drawn from local communities, were trained at the Police College and work closely with formal security agencies to enhance grassroots intelligence and response capabilities
In May 2024, he distributed 150 Hilux vehicles and 500 patrol motorcycles equipped with advanced technology to bolster the operational capacity of security forces. This initiative aims to improve mobility and response times in combating banditry and other criminal activities.
There have also been multiple instances where attacks were repelled by the security operatives, according to the ACLED record.
For instance, on November 18, 2024, suspected Boko Haram (JAS) attacked the NSCDC officers monitoring the power line around the Farin Kasa area, Birni Gwari, Kaduna. The security agents repelled the attack and killed over fifty militants during the onslaught. They declared seven officers missing. Four of the missing officers were later confirmed dead, and two returned while one was still missing.
Similarly, the Nigerian Air Force launched multiple offensives that destroyed the various terrorist enclaves. For instance, on 13 June 2024, Nigerian army troops engaged a militia operating in Kaduna and Katsina states in an armed clash around Idasu forest (Giwa, Kaduna). 36 militia members, including a militia leader, Buharin Yadi, were killed.
Around June 9, 2024, the air component of Operation Whirl Punch conducted airstrikes targeted at Kaduna militia camps in Sabon Birni Daji. Several militia members were killed, and fatalities were coded as 10.
Nurudeen Akewushola is an investigative reporter and fact-checker with The ICIR. He believes courageous in-depth investigative reporting is the key to social justice, accountability and good governance in society. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 on Twitter.