BREAKING: Bandits Kill One, Kidnap Six In Southern Kaduna Despite State Peace Pact

Bandits have once again struck in Southern Kaduna, killing one person and abducting six others.

A community leader reported that the attackers targeted Kokob-Bajaga village in Kajuru Local Government Area on Tuesday.

“The bandits killed one person and injured one person in the village, but took six people away. The soldiers helped in evacuating the corpse, but we are in fear because of the uncertainty of our safety,” the community leader said.

The community leader claimed that the media has become compromised and is no longer reporting the daily killings and kidnappings in their communities, despite the peace agreement reached between the Kaduna State Government and bandit leaders.

Similarly, on Monday, SaharaReporters reported that a deadly terrorist attack had claimed seven lives in Southern Kaduna, despite the peace pact.

SaharaReporters reported that heavily armed attackers struck late Sunday night into the early hours of Monday, killing seven people, mostly minors.

Sources told SaharaReporters that several adults managed to escape.

Mr. Iliya Tata, a community leader and Public Relations Officer 1 of the Irigwe Development Association, confirmed the incident and shared graphic images with SaharaReporters’ New York office.

“There was an attack on Sunday night, August 24, by Fulani marauders at a community known as Angwan Rimi in Kamaru Ward of Kauru LGA (local government area) of Kaduna State,” he stated.

“Seven persons have been killed, while eight others sustained gunshot injuries and machete cuts.”

‎The leadership of the Irigwe Development Association, Kamaru branch, condemned the attack and urged all communities to protect themselves.

They also called on security agencies to take urgent action and ensure the safety of the affected areas.

Meanwhile, the Kaduna State government, in collaboration with federal agencies, launched what it called the “Kaduna Model”—a holistic peace initiative aimed at addressing both the symptoms and root causes of insecurity.

The pact involved direct engagement with notorious bandit leaders operating in areas like Birnin Gwari and Giwa. These were not petty criminals; they were warlords like Yellow Jambros and Dogo Gide, men accused of mass killings, kidnappings, and extortion across Kaduna and neighboring states.

Yet, under the new peace deal, many of them laid down their arms. Around 200 fighters reportedly surrendered, some even enrolling in government-run rehabilitation programs.

The initiative included promises of disarmament, reintegration, and rural development. Roads once feared, like the Kaduna-Birnin Gwari highway, reopened, and villagers began returning to their homes. The government touted these as signs of progress, a fragile hope in a region long defined by despair.

Still, the pact was not without controversy. Critics, including Christian leaders and other stakeholders, voiced concern over the lack of transparency and the exclusion of victims from the peace process.

The Northwest Governors Forum had previously agreed to reject negotiations with criminals, making Kaduna’s unilateral move a bold departure.

Governor Uba Sani defended the approach as a “carrot-and-stick” strategy, insisting that peace must be pursued from a position of strength.