After years of banditry incursions that held several communities hostage in Kaduna State, the administration of Governor Uba Sani says it has restored peace and reclaimed several areas previously controlled by bandits.

Through a combination of kinetic and non-kinetic approaches deployed over the past three years, the administration said it had successfully reclaimed several communities and farmlands from bandit enclaves.

The decisive action, according to the government, has not only restored public confidence in governance but also revived microeconomic activities and agricultural production across the state.

The Commissioner for Information and Culture, Ahmed Maiyaki, who disclosed the achievements of the Uba Sani’s administration in the areas of security and agriculture, also highlighted the government’s investments in education, healthcare and carbon-emission reduction.

Maiyaki made the disclosure at a gala night organised by his ministry in honour of members of the Kano Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), who were in Kaduna for their 2026 retreat.

The commissioner recalled how the security situation had reached a critical stage, with bandits establishing territorial enclaves and imposing their own criminal authorities on communities.

He said residents in affected areas were subjected to the payment of levies and taxes, including charges on agricultural produce.

According to him, the administration subsequently deployed a combination of security operations and other interventions, with the support of security agencies, to reclaim communities and farmlands from the bandits.

He said the development had enabled farmers to return to their farms, thereby contributing to increased agricultural production across the state.

Maiyaki noted that insecurity had not only disrupted farming activities but had also weakened the economic life of rural communities, forcing residents to abandon their homes and sources of livelihood.

” Without security, you cannot achieve anything. Before now, farmers in such areas were unable to go to their farms because of bandits“.

Maiyaki stressed that the return of farmers to their fields represented a significant step towards restoring livelihoods and strengthening food production.

The commissioner also said the security situation along the Kaduna-Abuja highway had substantially improved, reversing a period when travellers were reluctant to use the route because of the threat of attacks.

On agriculture, Maiyaki said the Kaduna State Government had increased its budgetary allocation to the sector from about N2 billion to over N27 billion since the Uba Sani administration assumed office, with further increases aimed at achieving food sufficiency in the state.

He also disclosed that the state government had procured more than 100 truckloads of fertiliser and distributed the inputs free of charge to farmers across the state to boost productivity and increase yields.

Maiyaki further told the correspondents that the Kaduna State Government had procured hundreds of CNG-powered buses to provide free transportation for residents and cushion the impact of rising transportation costs.

He added that the administration had constructed and rehabilitated more than 5,000 kilometres of roads across the state, improving access to markets and stimulating economic activities and social cohesion.

The commissioner commended the Kano Correspondents’ Chapel for choosing Kaduna as the venue for its retreat for the second consecutive year, following the 2025 engagement held in the state.

Speaking at the event, the Chairman of the Kano Correspondents’ Chapel, Murtala Adewale, said the 2026 retreat, themed “2027 Elections: Navigating Legal, Security and Ethical Boundaries in the Media,” was designed to equip journalists with the necessary knowledge and technical skills for reporting political campaigns and elections.

According to him, the retreat featured legal professionals who delivered presentations on public order and ethical boundaries in election reporting.

“We also had media experts who delivered papers on misinformation during elections and tools for detecting fake photos and videos online. We also had a presentation on the Electoral Act delivered by a representative of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),” Adewale said.