February 8, 2026 l Dalena Reporters
Residents of Kaso and neighbouring communities in Chikun Local Government Area (LGA) of Kaduna State, Nigeria staged a protest on Saturday, February 7, 2026, to condemn continued bandit attacks that have displaced dozens of villages and forced the closure of 13 government primary schools across the area. The demonstration, held at Maraban Rido, underscored mounting frustration over insecurity that protesters say has upended daily life, including schooling and farming, according to local and regional media reporting.
The demonstrators, organised by local civic groups and community youth forums, lamented that at least 18 surrounding villages have been rendered uninhabitable as armed groups operating along key road corridors including Rido, Kujama, and parts of the Kakau-Abuja Road and Kajuru LGA have repeatedly carried out raids on rural settlements. The violence, they said, has left many families homeless, anxious and unable to return to their farms ahead of the planting season.
Speakers at the protest described an escalation in attacks over the past several months, including killings, kidnappings and large-scale displacement that has crippled local economic and social life. One organiser, Mr. Obadiah Baba Kasoiza, said that scores of motorcycles were seized and dozens of residents abducted in recent months, pointing to broad insecurity that has eroded confidence in government protection and left residents fearing for their safety.
The closure of 13 public primary schools was a particularly urgent concern among the protesters, who noted that teaching and learning activities have been suspended because parents and teachers no longer feel safe sending children to school amid rampant banditry. Primary healthcare centres in the affected communities have also reportedly halted services, compounding the hardship facing displaced families.
Protest leaders called on Governor Uba Sani and federal security agencies to deploy dedicated military and police strike forces to the beleaguered communities, bolster patrols around vulnerable rural areas and create conditions for the safe return of displaced citizens. They warned that sustained violence could worsen food insecurity in the region if farmers remain unable to tend their land.
The demonstrations reflect long-standing challenges in parts of northern Nigeria where armed banditry, including kidnappings for ransom and theft of livestock, has been ongoing for years and has repeatedly overwhelmed local security resources. In Kaduna State alone, multiple communities have faced attacks that have led to displacement and disruption of essential services, part of a broader crisis affecting northwestern regions of the country.