By Luka Binniyat and Mike Odeh
Kaduna, Nigeria—Amid renewed violence and food insecurity, the people of Southern Kaduna, in Nigeria’s Christian Middle Belt, are calling on the Federal Government of Nigeria and Kaduna State government to reinforce their commitment to protecting lives and property.
TruthNigeria can affirm that Southern Kaduna people have witnessed relative improvements in security under the current leadership of Governor Uba Sani and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. This is a marked departure from the administrations of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai and former President Buhari, who were accused of doing little or nothing to stop the mass murder of Christians in Southern Kaduna and the Middle Belt.
While residents acknowledge those gains, recent events suggest a worrying reversal. Over the past few months, scattered but deadly assaults have occurred across parts of Southern Kaduna, including Ungwar Rimi, Chawai, Kamaru, Wikeh, Gadanaji, Awon, Kabara, Rumaya, Farin Dutse, Damakasuwa, Tsam, and neighbouring villages. Scores of residents have been killed, kidnapped or displaced.
On October 7, 2025, farmlands around Kabara in Kagarko county, were reportedly destroyed the day after villagers demonstrated at the palace of the Ere Koro, demanding government protection from incessant attacks by herdsmen.
According to local monitors, between October 23 and 31 alone, at least 14 people were killed and about 30 kidnapped in the southern Kaduna axis of the state, prompting fears of an imminent food crisis due to destruction of crops and barns.
A Fragile Peace Under Threat
Engr. Tabara Samuel Kato, National President of the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU) – the umbrella body of the 57 ethnic Christian group of Southern Kaduna – in a statement available to TruthNigeria Wednesday, on behalf of affected communities, warned that if urgent action is not taken, the modest security gains under Governor Uba Sani could be eroded by the resurgence of coordinated attacks.
Kato noted that the recurring violence, often branded as “farmer–herder clashes,” masks deep deception and cover up to genocide.
“The so-called farmers/herders clashes are not conflicts on farmlands,” he argued. “Cattle are domestic animals that obey the gestures and voice of their herders. They do not stray into farms unless directed to do so. It is deliberate provocation when herdsmen drive cattle to destroy farms,” he said.
“But even at that, armed Fulani herders always creep under the cover of night to indiscriminately kill children, women and the old,” he said.
Kato alleged that many cattle implicated in farm invasions belong to wealthy urban elites, including politicians and power brokers, who use the ensuing crises to negotiate political leverage. But he didn’t mention names.
Ugom’s Nightmare: A Microcosm of the Crisis
The village of Ugom in Kajuru County – a once rich farming community – offers a stark reflection of the broader pattern. On the morning of November 6 2024, armed Fulani militias reportedly surrounded the settlement and ambushed young village volunteer guards escorting traders to a nearby market. After the gunfire subsided, Mr. Jonah Na’allah Yunana, a respected youth leader and farmer, lay dead, another was gravely injured.
“For Ugom, it was a brutal reminder that life here is a daily gamble between hunger and death,” said a local resident.
For nearly a decade, Ugom has been under what locals describe as a “slow siege.” Continuous raids have crippled economic life: markets deserted, schools closed, medical services nearly non-existent. Families live trapped, fearful of venturing out to farm or fetch water.
“Our people are starving,” lamented Alhaji Ishaya Onnusim, Chairman of the Ugom Progressive Union (UPU). “The fields lie untilled, and our children cry from hunger. Those who refused to abandon their ancestral land now live in perpetual fear.”
Local leaders say repeated appeals for protection have gone unanswered. “The silence from the authorities is deafening,” Onnusim added. “Every day of inaction pushes us closer to extinction.”
Reports from community trackers suggest Ugom’s ordeal mirrors a larger security breakdown in Southern Kaduna. Between 2019 and 2024, Kajuru alone recorded over 120 attacks, resulting in hundreds of deaths and widespread displacement, said Col. Samuel Kazah (rtd), now farmer and security analyst. “This is the statistics that the government doesn’t want to hear. But it maybe worse than this,” he said
A Looming Humanitarian Crisis
A recent visit to the area by ThruthNigeria showed a bleak landscape . The once-bustling local market is overgrown. Children roam aimlessly, their bellies swollen from malnutrition. Women scavenge for wild tubers and draw water from unsafe streams.
The UPU has issued an urgent appeal for military deployment and a permanent outpost. “We are not calling for revenge,” the statement reads. “We are crying for protection and the right to live safely on our land.”
The crisis is fast becoming humanitarian. Hundreds of displaced persons from nearby villages have sought refuge in Ugom, overwhelming its meagre resources. Aid agencies remain largely unable to access the area due to insecurity. “We have children dying from malaria and women giving birth without medical help,” said a community nurse.
Call for Accountability and Sustained Action
SOKAPU has urged both state and federal governments to trace the ownership of cattle implicated in attacks and bring perpetrators to justice. The group also called for reinforcement of the “shoot-at-sight” directive against armed attackers issued by former Chief of Defence Staff Gen. C.G. Musa (rtd).
“Those who hide under the cover of the so-called farmers/herders clashes must not be allowed to continue undermining government efforts at restoring peace,” Kato emphasised. “Failure to act decisively will embolden the same forces that seek to discredit the progress made so far.”
SOKAPU also appealed for urgent government intervention to prevent an imminent food crisis in Southern communities like Kabara,Kujeni and Tafang in Kajuru county, where farmlands and food barns were destroyed. The group called on Governor Uba Sani to intensify efforts to secure kidnappers’ release and provide relief to affected households.
“Much as we continue to demand good governance, we must also acknowledge some marginal improvements that have taken place so far,” Kato said. “Governor Uba Sani and President Tinubu deserve support and encouragement to consolidate the progress on security.”
Luka Binniyat and Mike Odeh write on conflict and politics for TruthNigeria.com from Kaduna
