Xmas in displacement: ‘We once slaughtered 45 cows, now can’t buy chicken’

As the Christmas bells ring across Nigeria with songs, shared meals and family reunions, the season arrived stripped of joy in Kudansa community in Chikun LGA of Kaduna State as this year’s Christmas is no longer about celebration, but a struggle for survival. Kudansa, once a quiet rural settlement, has turned into a refuge for […]

As the Christmas bells ring across Nigeria with songs, shared meals and family reunions, the season arrived stripped of joy in Kudansa community in Chikun LGA of Kaduna State as this year’s Christmas is no longer about celebration, but a struggle for survival.

Kudansa, once a quiet rural settlement, has turned into a refuge for families displaced by bandit attacks from surrounding villages such as Anguwan Mission, Kashebo and Talele.

The calm and stability they once knew have been replaced by fear, uncertainty and hardship as they now try to rebuild their lives under extremely difficult conditions.

The host community itself is poor, yet it bears the heavy burden of sheltering displaced families who arrived with little more than the clothes they wore while fleeing violence. Limited resources are stretched thinner by the day, leaving both hosts and displaced persons struggling to cope.

Among the displaced is Martha Andrew, a widow whose story reflects the pain of countless displaced women. Bandits killed her husband and son, shattering not only her family, but her sense of security and hope. Now living in Kudansa, Martha battles daily to feed and care for her surviving children.

“Other people are preparing for Christmas—buying clothes, cooking food and slaughtering animals. I cannot even afford drugs for my sick daughter,” she said.

For Martha, displacement has meant far more than the loss of a home. With no steady income and no support system, Christmas has become just another day of anxiety—worrying about her next meal and the fate of her children.

“I don’t have a job now. I wash clothes for people in this community to get money to feed my children. As I speak, my daughter is sick, but I don’t have money to buy drugs. I went out to look for food, and when I came back, I found that my boy had fallen into a well and died.

“I am appealing for help so we can get out of this situation,” she said.

Another displaced victim, Tanko Zango, a village head and once a successful farmer from Talele community, said not long ago Christmas was a time of abundance as he would slaughter cows, share meat with villagers and host neighbours in celebration.

“I used to feed people. Now, feeding myself and my family is the problem,” he said.

“During Christmas, we used to slaughter cows in our community, but now getting food is difficult,” he added.

Like many others, Tanko lost his farmlands and livestock to the violence that swept through his community. Farming, once his source of pride and livelihood, is no longer possible.

Displacement has reduced respected community leaders to dependants, stripped of dignity and stability.

“We need help because we are farmers, but we do not have access to farmlands here, even though our children are still strong and able to farm. I pray to God that we get out of this situation,” he said.

The displaced persons said they were not asking for comfort or luxury, but for safety, food and a chance to rebuild their lives.

“What we need is safety, food and an opportunity to rebuild our lives. We are appealing to the government to provide us with a place where we can settle and farm,” said another IDP, Ibrahim Yahaya.

“Fertiliser is very expensive, and there are no farmlands here unless we rent them from members of the host community.

“In my clan, we used to slaughter up to 45 cows during Christmas, but now we cannot even afford to buy a chicken. Our children no longer go to school and life has become very difficult,” he said.

Jemima Abdullahi, another displaced person, appealed for government support.

“We need the government to do more to support us, because many people have been forced to abandon their communities. We used to celebrate Christmas together with our Christian brothers and sisters, living peacefully as neighbours.

“Today, we have all been displaced, scattered from our homes, and we are unhappy living in a place that is not our own,” she said.

Daily Trust reports that women bear a particularly heavy burden. Serah Benjamin, a women leader among the displaced, said many mothers struggled to explain to their children why there would be no new clothes, no special meals and no celebration this Christmas.

“Children ask questions. They don’t understand banditry or displacement. They only know they are hungry,” she said.

Many of the displaced persons said they were forced out of their rented homes after being unable to pay rent, leaving them with no option but to seek refuge with other residents in Kudansa.

They appealed to the government and well-meaning Nigerians for urgent humanitarian support, warning that without swift intervention, hunger and disease could claim more lives than the attacks that forced them from their communities.