Inhabitants of Kaso, a predominantly Gbagyi suburban community located in Chikun LGA of Kaduna South, have protested the displacement of their 18 villages and the closure of 13 primary and post-primary schools across the community due to armed bandit activities.
The displaced victims of the 18 villages bordering Rido, Maraban Rido, Rijana Forest, Kakau Abuja Road, Kujama, Buda, Gyengere and Tantatu in the Kajuru LGA of Kaduna State also raised an alarm about renewed security threats to farmers in the community’s parts of metropolitan Kaduna.
In a protest press briefing on Saturday in Maraban Rido, the leader of the Kaso Youth Forum Kaduna, Hon. Prince Obadiah Baba Kasoiza, in the company of the displaced senior village head and other victims, said they were compelled to address the media owing to constant attacks on their community by armed bandits and to call on the attention of Governor Uba Sani to the true picture and situation of insecurity in the entire Kaso community.
Prince Kasoiza, however, stated that there was relative peace and calmness in the Kaso community upon the assumption of office by Governor Sani in 2023, with many farmers returning to their settlements, and economic activities began to show some revival. This revival continued until November 2025, when banditry activities in the area resumed.
The community youth leader, Kasoiza, lamented that “Within this period of three months, from November 2025 till date, lives have been lost, and almost 30 motorcycles have been snatched by bandits.
“In December last year, over 50 people were kidnapped, and millions of naira alongside motorcycles were given and paid for ransom before their release.
“Also, from January to this first week of February 2026, many were kidnapped; some have been released after payment of ransom, while many are still under the captivity of the bandits hitherto.
“As it stands now, as a community, our confidence in the government, who are supposed to protect the lives and properties of its citizens, is demoralised. Our hope of participating in the agricultural activities in the coming rainy season is uncertain,” he said.
The youth leader lamented that the Kaso community began to experience the incessant and relentless attacks by armed bandits in the entire area about 10 years ago, under the immediate past administration of Mal. Nasir El-rufai.
He said many lives have been lost and properties destroyed during this period of time, as houses, churches and mosques were also destroyed due to the forceful displacements of the inhabitants by the armed bandits.
“Hundreds of motorcycles have been snatched by the armed bandits; hundreds of motorcycles have been purchased and given to bandits for ransom. Millions of naira have been paid for the ransom of our loved ones.
“Due to constant attacks on the KASO community by armed bandits, we deemed it fit to call to the attention of His Excellency, the Governor of Kaduna State, Mal. Uba Sani to the true picture and situation of insecurity in the entire Kaso community.
“It has been 10 years now since the Kaso community began to experience incessant and relentless attacks by armed bandits in the entire area. The Kaso community is located in the Chikun local government of Kaduna State, Nigeria.
“Being part of Kaduna metropolitan city, Kaso on the west is bordered by Kakau; on the north side, it is bordered by Rido, Maraban Rido and Kujama. On the eastern side, it bordered Buda, Gyengere and Tantatu in the Kajuru local government. While on the south it bordered the Rijana forest,” he said.
He also stated that 25% of the people living in Maraban Rido Kadansa are refugees from Kaso, “while 20% of people living in Kujama today are refugees from Kaso who are willing to go back to their ancestral land”.
“As a result of these incessant attacks on the entire area by armed bandits, socio-economic activities in the area have been totally incapacitated.
“Educational activities in the area have been halted, and also, there is no longer any primary health care centre that is still functioning in the entire area since the beginning of these relentless attacks by the armed bandits from 2016 to date.
They called on Governor Uba Sani, as a matter of urgency, to establish a military strike force at Kurmin Kaso to curtail banditry activities in the area and requested that the 3 major roads into the area be constructed for easy access to revive the socio-economic activities in the area and also to minimise insecurity.
“We request that the 13 LEA/UBE primary schools that have been shut down be reopened to secure the educational future of our children,” said there are no relief materials from government circles, even though the LG council chairman, police, army and other security agencies, and political leaders were fully informed.
“We request that human capacity development and sensitisation programmes be organised and support be given to our people to go back to their settlements, and also reassurance of the security of the lives and properties of our people.
Deployment of security operatives to and from the area fuelled and triggered more crises as bandits felt more aggressive and blamed inhabitants for inviting them, according to a youth leader.
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