Residents of Kurmin Kaduna and neighbouring communities have appealed to the Federal and Kaduna State governments to urgently strengthen security in the area, citing growing attacks, abductions and ransom demands by armed men.
The Peace Revival Awareness, Kurmin Kaduna Chapter, made the appeal in a statement addressed to President Bola Tinubu, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani, the Minister of Defence and senior security officials in the state.
The group said the security situation had deteriorated to a level beyond the capacity of community leaders and local vigilantes to manage.
“For several months now, our people have lived in constant fear,” the group’s chairman, Shu’lbu Kurmin Mashi, said.
“Armed men storm our homes at night. They attack farmers on their fields. They block our roads. Children are afraid to go to school. Many families have fled their homes.”
According to the organisation, years of peacebuilding efforts through sensitisation and community dialogue were being undermined by repeated attacks.
It called for immediate government intervention and outlined four key demands aimed at restoring security in the area.
The group requested the immediate deployment of military personnel for 24-hour patrols and the establishment of rapid response teams to deal with attacks.
It also called for a permanent security presence through the establishment of a military base or police outpost within the community.
The organisation further urged security agencies to conduct targeted operations to identify and clear suspected bandit hideouts in forests and border areas around Kurmin Kaduna.
It also called for closer collaboration between security agencies and community leaders to improve intelligence gathering and strengthen community policing.
“We are not asking for too much. We are asking to live,” Mashi said.
“With our gallant military personnel on ground, we believe normalcy can return. Our people deserve to sleep with their two eyes closed, to go to their farms, and to send children to school without fear.”
The group said it remained committed to peace advocacy and would continue supporting government efforts through public sensitisation and cooperation with security agencies.
It described the appeal as “a matter of life and death” for thousands of law-abiding residents of Kurmin Kaduna and surrounding communities.
