Kaduna Residents Flee Homes as Insecurity Causes Rent to Rise

Repeated kidnappings and attacks in communities around Kaduna are making people leave their homes for rented places in the city.

Reports show that this situation is pushing rents higher and hurting low-income homeowners.

Areas like Baban Saura and Danhon II in Millennium City are seeing residents who spent years building their houses choosing to move instead of facing the risk of kidnapping and ransom demands.

“I rented a self-contained apartment for N600,000, and many people say I got it cheap because houses are now very expensive in the city,” said Yakubu Dahiru, who moved from Danhon II to Malali after attacks in his area.

“The insecurity is no longer just in the villages; the bandits are getting closer to us, and it is better to leave than to be abducted and then forced to sell the house to pay ransom,” he added.

Mr Dahiru mentioned that he has not gone back home since the attack on his community last year and he could not find anyone willing to rent or guard the property due to fear.

Reports indicate that residents in new areas across Kaduna North, Kaduna South, Chikun, and Igabi Local Government Areas are increasingly leaving their properties to find safer places in the city.

For over ten years, these new areas offered affordable homeownership for low-income earners who bought land and gradually built their houses.

The opening of the Eastern Bypass in Kaduna helped these settlements grow, according to an estate surveyor.

Umar Mohammed, a Kaduna estate surveyor, said market women and those in low-paying jobs invested in these areas because land was relatively cheap.

But insecurity is now forcing some homeowners to sell their properties at bad prices or leave them empty.

Saidu Hamza, a resident of Danhon II, said he moved his family to Ilorin in Kwara after an attack on his community. He has now put his three-bedroom house with a two-bedroom apartment up for sale.

“With the security situation in the area, the price I am being offered is not very encouraging, and I could not leave my family there knowing the place is unsafe,” he said.

This mass movement has also increased the demand for accommodation in Kaduna city, with estate agents noting a significant rise in rents.

Maiunguwa Ibrahim, an estate agent around Kurmin Mashi, Gwamna Road, and Badiko, told reports that rents for some three-bedroom apartments along Gwamna Road have jumped from between N1.2 million and N1.5 million to between N3 million and N3.5 million.

Mr Mohammed blamed the increase on the lack of available apartments as more people flee from unsafe communities.

This situation adds to Nigeria’s housing problem. The World Bank’s Nigeria Affordable Housing Project 2018 estimates a national housing shortage of 17 million units. The country needs about 700,000 housing units every year for the next 20 years.

Security sources explained that the scattered houses in new areas, poor fencing, few security posts, and closeness to forests make some communities easy targets for attacks.

The worries have grown due to ongoing kidnappings in Millennium City and nearby areas, including the abduction of two journalists two years ago.

Recently, gunmen reportedly killed a man named Sikiru in Baban Saura and took his wife, Hafsat, their 14-year-old son, Abdulsalam, and six others. Hafsat and her son are still missing, according to a family member.

In Millennium City, a couple and their six-month-old baby were taken from Alrahus Estate on October 6. The husband, Ahmed Zakka, made a video appeal saying the kidnappers demanded a N300 million ransom.

Amnesty International Nigeria has also warned that residents of Millennium City face ongoing threats from armed men. Some families are leaving their homes and others are stopping their children’s education.

Meanwhile, the Kaduna State Police Command announced on Monday that they arrested 12 suspects, including eight suspected kidnappers and four alleged informants, during operations in Millennium City and Maraban Rido.

The police said the Kaduna State Government has provided three more armored personnel carriers to boost security in the affected areas.

Abdullahi Umar, a security expert, urged the government to support community watch groups and improve cooperation between security agencies, traditional leaders, and community heads.

He said community awareness could help security efforts, especially in areas where there are not enough personnel for the size of the community.

The rising displacement shows how insecurity is affecting not just safety but also housing costs and family investments. Residents now pay higher rents while their own homes remain empty.