In Katsina State, Nigeria, Safiya Musa has found a lifeline in sewing after a deadly raid in 2023 claimed the lives of her husband and two youngest children. The attack by armed bandits on the town of Kankara forced Safiya to flee with her surviving children to Batsari, where she was reunited with her three older children.

Safiya and her husband had moved from Batsari to Kankara, a rural community where her husband worked as a farmer and foodstuffs trader. They lived there with their two youngest children, Umar (4) and Maryam (6), while their older children—Sani (12), Hajara (10), and Zubaida (8)—stayed with relatives in Batsari.

Now based in Jibia, Safiya has built a fragile independence through sewing, a livelihood that allows her to provide for her children. Muhammad Hamisu, a project coordinator in Jibia, emphasized the importance of such initiatives, stating, “The essence is to give them an opportunity to become self-reliant.”

Karima Sule, a 30-year-old who has lived in Jibia since fleeing violence four years ago, earns approximately $50 a month through similar economic activities, with higher earnings when demand increases.

However, growing economic activity in the region comes with risks. Abdussamad Ahmad Yusuf, a human security researcher at HumAngle, warned that “kidnapping for ransom in that region is becoming more targeted,” urging authorities to conduct regular security risk assessments to identify high-risk areas before expanding commercial activities.

Safiya now faces a difficult choice between returning home or risking the loss of the independence she has painstakingly rebuilt.

Sources