Land Use and Land Cover Change in Kakau Chikun Local Government Area, Kaduna State: The Aftermath of Banditry

In Nigeria, particularly in the Northwest region, banditry has intensified, causing widespread insecurity. States like Kaduna, Katsina, and Zamfara have become hotspots, with bandit groups armed with automatic weapons terrorizing communities, killing, kidnapping, and pillaging resources. The research aimed to examine the effect of banditry on land use and land cover in Chikun LGA, Kaduna State. These disruptions not only threaten safety but also reshape the landscape, leading to changes in land use patterns, abandonment of farmland, and alterations in socio-economic activities. The methodology of research includes primary data, used are satellite imageries (Landsat 7 and Landsat 8, and Landsat 9), and Secondary Data are literature that were sourced from newspapers, journals, and textbooks. The result of the study revealed that in 2023, the land use and land cover had slightly changed from 2014 to 2023. Built-up area occupied 137 km², that is 29%, Bare land occupied 51 km², that is 11%, Water body covers 3 km², that is 1%, while vegetation occupied 100 km², that is 21% and Farm land occupied 182 km², that is 38%. The study concludes that using Landsat 8 imagery (2014, 2018, 2023) to assess how banditry has altered land use/land cover in the area shows that farmland initially dominated the landscape, while built-up areas and water bodies occupied the smallest shares in Kakau town. By 2023, farmland had declined, and built-up areas had expanded, indicating substantial shifts in land use patterns.