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Ongoing case · 2010
Also known as Southern Kaduna killings
Ongoing case: this file carries charge-sheet facts only. Anyone charged is presumed innocent unless convicted.
The short answer
Since the early 2010s, Southern Kaduna communities in Nigeria's Kaduna State have experienced repeated attacks attributed to Fulani herdsmen groups, along with kidnappings and killings of local chiefs, journalists, and residents, amid disputes over grazing reserves, land, and political power.
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Suggest coverage for Killings in Southern KadunaThe case file
Killings in Southern Kaduna refers to a prolonged series of attacks on predominantly Christian indigenous communities in the Southern Kaduna region of Kaduna State, Nigeria, beginning around 2011 and continuing into the 2020s. According to multiple press and advocacy sources, the violence has been linked by local advocacy groups to disputes following the 2011 Nigerian general elections, subsequent political developments in Kaduna State, and proposals for Fulani grazing reserves in the region.
The article traces early tensions to the 2011 election period, the tenure of Governor Patrick Yakowa — the first Christian and Southern Kaduna indigene to hold the office — and his death in a 2012 helicopter crash. Subsequent governors, including Mukhtar Ramalan Yero and Nasir el-Rufai, presided over periods marked by recurring attacks attributed by local sources to Fulani herdsmen. Governor el-Rufai stated in 2016 that Fulani groups from Sahel countries had been paid to stop attacks tied to grievances over cattle killed during the 2011 unrest; this account was publicly disputed by Senator Danjuma Laah, who represented Kaduna South.
El-Rufai proposed creating cattle grazing reserves across Kaduna State, including significant hectares in Southern Kaduna. The Southern Kaduna People's Union (SOKAPU) opposed the plan, stating it was a driver of renewed violence, while the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) denied this link. SOKAPU documented what it described as thousands of deaths in dozens of attacks between 2011 and 2016.
Numerous specific incidents are documented, including the killing of traditional ruler HH Gambo Makama and his pregnant wife on 1 January 2018; the kidnapping and later killing of the Agom Adara, Dr. Raphael Maiwada Galadima, in 2018; a Christmas Eve 2016 attack on the village of Goska that killed several people including a 14-year-old girl; and a 2020 killing of a young man whose body was found in the Kaduna River. Local associations such as SOKAPU and the Atyap Community Development Association (ACDA) have compiled cumulative figures over multiple years describing hundreds of deaths, displaced persons, and destroyed villages, attributing responsibility to Fulani armed groups referred to in reporting as "herdsmen" or "bandits."
Several journalists and commentators who reported on or criticized the state government's handling of the killings were arrested and detained, including Jacob Onjewu Dickson, John Danfulani, Luka Binniyat (arrested twice), and Stephen Kefas. The Committee to Protect Journalists called for Binniyat's release in 2021.
Following el-Rufai's exit from office in May 2023, incoming Governor Uba Sani's administration moved to resettle displaced Southern Kaduna communities based on a November 2023 Security Council recommendation. Cultural festivals in the region, previously halted, resumed in late 2023 and 2024.
23 dated entries · 2010–2024
Goodluck Jonathan becomes President of Nigeria after the death of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua.
Post-election violence following the 2011 presidential election spreads across northern Nigeria; Patrick Yakowa elected Kaduna State governor.
Governor Patrick Yakowa dies in a helicopter crash; Mukhtar Ramalan Yero becomes governor.
SOKAPU issues a press statement alleging genocidal killings in Southern Kaduna and calling for el-Rufai's resignation.
Fulani groups reportedly attack Godogodo communities.
Governor el-Rufai states in an interview that payments were made to Fulani groups from Sahel countries to stop killings.
Attack on Goska village kills 14-year-old Anna and five others; homes and cars burned.
Gideon Morik, former Deputy Speaker of Kaduna State House of Assembly, dies weeks after the Goska attack.
SOKAPU spokesman Luka Binniyat is arrested and detained for over 100 days, released in October 2017.
Traditional ruler HH Gambo Makama and his pregnant wife are killed in Arak village, Sanga LGA.
Agom Akulu HH Yohanna Sidi Kukah is kidnapped; later released.
Agom Adara Dr. Raphael Maiwada Galadima is kidnapped; he is later killed by his captors.
Journalist Stephen Kefas is arrested and later remanded in Kaduna prison.
Mutilated body of a 30-year-old man, Yusuf, found at the bank of the Kaduna River.
Soldiers open fire on women protesting arrests in Kanai district, Atyap Chiefdom, killing at least one woman on the spot.
Luka Binniyat is arrested a second time in Kaduna.
MACBAN chairman in Kaduna reports killings of Fulani herders and losses of livestock in Southern Kaduna.
Luka Binniyat is released.
Atyap Community Development Association holds a press conference citing cumulative figures of villages destroyed and people killed since 2017.
Governor el-Rufai proscribes the ACDA shortly before leaving office; Uba Sani becomes governor.
Kaduna State Security Council recommends resettlement of displaced Southern Kaduna communities.
Maiden Southern Kaduna Cultural Festival (SKFEST) held in Kafanchan.
SOKAPU welcomes inauguration of a 10-man resettlement committee under Governor Uba Sani.
9 named in this file
Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
14-year-old killed in the Christmas Eve 2016 attack on Goska village.[3]
Killed in the Ningon Community in 2016, according to SOKAPU account.[3]
Traditional ruler (Etum Numana) killed with his pregnant wife in Arak village on 1 January 2018.[3]
Killed in the Ningon Community in 2016, according to SOKAPU account.[3]
Pastor killed by suspected herdsmen following a governor's visit to affected communities in 2016.[3]
Traditional ruler (Agom Adara) kidnapped in 2018 and killed by his captors.[3]
30-year-old man found dead, mutilated, at the bank of the Kaduna River on 10 June 2020.[3]
Major General and Commander of Nigerian Army Operation Safe Haven, reported by SOKAPU to have overseen the arrest of about 15 Atyap community leaders in March 2021.[3]
Governor of Kaduna State (2015–2023) whose administration's policies on grazing reserves, chieftaincy restructuring, and security response are described in connection with the events.[3]
3 cited
Coverage is not a source: every fact in this file rests on the records below.
Official / agencystate.govAccessed Jul 7, 2026
Pressvanguardngr.comAccessed Jul 7, 2026
EncyclopedicWikipediaAccessed Jul 7, 2026
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