The Kaduna State Commissioner for Information, Malam Ahmed Maiyaki says the state government offers bandits access to education, healthcare, and livelihood opportunities as part of efforts to end years of killings and kidnapping in the state.

He made the disclosure at a one-day workshop on Peace Journalism organised by the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kaduna state, in collaboration with the Global Peace Foundation Nigeria and the Ministry of Information, Kaduna state.

The initiative, tagged Kaduna Peace Model, according to Maiyaki, was a deliberate shift from confrontation to conversation, focusing on restoring humanity through dialogue and development instead of financial appeasement with a view of better understanding to end all forms of criminal activities in the state.

The commissioner said, “You cannot bomb peace into existence; you must build it with trust.”

He explained that the turning point came when leaders of the armed groups asked the government to reopen markets, schools, and healthcare centers that had been closed due to insecurity.

He further explained, “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 for better understanding that was long abandoned.”

According to Maiyaki, between 2015 and 2023, Kaduna recorded 1,160 security incidents resulting in 4,876 deaths, with thousands kidnapped or displaced, saying that in 2021 alone, 1,192 people were killed and 3,348 abducted, forcing the closure of 142 schools and 192 health facilities.

He said that Kaduna was once declared a “red zone” by the international community, expressing delight that it is gradually reclaiming its image through a non-kinetic approach anchored on intelligence sharing, dialogue, and socio-economic inclusion – in partnership with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).

Through the joint ONSA–Kaduna Peace Committee, the commissioner explained that more than 500 captives were safely released via negotiations without any payment of ransom or resort to force.

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

Kaduna govt offers bandits access to education, healthcare – Commissioner