After a deadly raid, a displaced Nigerian mother finds a lifeline in sewing | News
Jibia, Katsina State, Nigeria — Safiya Musa has found a way to provide for her children with the help of a sewing machine, a means of support that violence had earlier stripped away.
After the tragic loss of her husband and two of her children, she now faces a difficult decision: to return home or to risk losing the fragile independence she has built since being forced to flee her town.
In 2023, armed bandits attacked Kankara, a rural community in Katsina State, where Safiya and her husband previously settled after moving from Batsari. The couple had established a life there, with her husband working as a farmer and food trader, while their youngest children, Umar, 4, and Maryam, 6, played nearby. Their three older children, Sani, 12, Hajara, 10, and Zubaida, 8, were staying with relatives in Batsari.
The attackers aimed to kidnap the town head, but the incident quickly escalated. As gunfire erupted, Safiya locked herself in her room, while her children were outside. Her husband had gone to work on the farm. The bandits killed approximately 20 people during their assault.
Three days later, after learning of her husband’s murder, Safiya fled to Batsari to reunite with her surviving children. Yet, when another attack struck Batsari, she relocated once more, this time to Jibia, where they settled in a displaced persons camp.
The memories of that fateful night remain vivid for Safiya. “Minutes later, silence overwhelmed the atmosphere,” she recalled. “Then I started thinking about my husband and my children. The thought of them pushed me out of hiding.” Tragically, she was too late; her family had been killed.
Safiya’s experience mirrors a broader crisis affecting northwest Nigeria, where armed groups have engaged in violence, kidnappings, and village raids for over a decade. This insecurity has displaced thousands and disrupted farming and trade, leaving many families struggling to rebuild their lives. Katsina State, which borders Niger, is one of the hardest-hit areas.
Upon arriving in Jibia, Safiya took on various jobs to support her family, grinding grain for neighbors and seeking temporary work. She later participated in a handbag-making training program organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through its Climate Security Project. The initiative aims to offer women impacted by conflict vocational training and equipment to launch small businesses.
Months later, the program helped her establish a stable income. However, the prospect of returning home now raises concerns about whether she could maintain her business. “The essence is to give them an opportunity to become self-reliant,” said Muhammad Hamisu, project coordinator in Jibia.
The handbag-making skill Safiya acquired enabled her to create a source of income for her family. With her new skills and access to sewing materials, she crafts handbags for sale. While the work does not erase her loss, it provides her the means to care for her children. “I used to wake up with nothing to offer my children,” she said. “Now I can feed them myself.”
In March 2024, the Climate Security Project trained 20 women in handbag production, providing sewing machines and materials to assist them in beginning their ventures. Located near the Nigerian-Niger border, Jibia offers access to cross-border markets, including Maradi, one of Niger’s key commercial regions.
For some women, these businesses have become vital income sources. “I make approximately $50 a month,” said Karima Sule, 30, who fled violence four years ago. “When demand is high, I earn even more. I help my husband and pay school fees for my two older children from this business.”
Despite these strides, building an enterprise in such a conflict-affected area remains challenging. Safiya cited financial barriers in purchasing materials. “Sometimes I run out of stock and don’t have the funds to buy more,” she said, noting that this situation results in lost customers. Karima added that violence can disrupt sales, impacting income significantly.
Experts have raised concerns about escalating risks in these evolving economic activities. Abdussamad Ahmad Yusuf, a human security researcher at HumAngle, indicated that kidnappings in the region have become increasingly targeted. He emphasized the need for regular conflict assessments to identify risks in trading routes and markets.
In response to the ongoing violence, the Katsina government established the Community Watch Corps in 2023, a local security initiative that utilizes community members to gather intelligence and bolster attack responses. Officials assert that security has improved in some communities, yet many families remain apprehensive about returning home.
Safiya envisions a future where she can reunite her children with their relatives, but the business she has built in Jibia complicates her decision. The handbag enterprise allows her to help her children and rely less on unstable work. Leaving it all behind raises concerns about her ability to sustain an income elsewhere. Though she hears that conditions in her hometown are improving, the uncertainty looms large.
“For me, returning home is not just about safety,” Safiya explained. “It is about whether I can continue to provide for my family. I want to go back because my children need their relatives, but I am afraid of losing this business. If I cannot continue it there, how will we survive?”
