A displaced mother from Katsina State has rebuilt her life through sewing after losing her husband and two children in a deadly bandit attack, but she now faces uncertainty over whether to return home or remain where she has found a source of income.
Safiya Musa fled her hometown after armed bandits attacked Kankara in 2023, killing about 20 people, including her husband and two young children. She later escaped another attack in Batsari before settling with her three surviving children in a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Jibia.
After struggling to survive through casual jobs, Safiya was selected for a handbag-making training programme organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) under its Climate Security Project. The initiative equips women affected by conflict with vocational skills, sewing machines, and materials to help them establish small businesses.
The training transformed Safiya's life, allowing her to earn an income by producing and selling handbags. She said the business has restored her ability to provide food and basic needs for her children after years of hardship.
"I used to have nothing to give my children, but now I can support them through this business," she said.
Other beneficiaries have also reported improved livelihoods. Karima Sule, another participant in the programme, said she earns around $50 per month, using the income to support her family and pay her children's school fees.
Despite the progress, the women continue to face challenges, including limited access to capital for purchasing materials and reduced sales whenever insecurity disrupts market activities.
Security experts have warned that expanding commercial activities in conflict-prone areas should be accompanied by stronger security measures to protect traders from targeted attacks and kidnappings.
Although the Katsina State Government says security has improved in some communities through the Community Watch Corps initiative, many displaced families remain reluctant to return home.
For Safiya, the decision is difficult. While she hopes to reunite her children with relatives in her hometown, she fears losing the sewing business that has become her family's main source of survival.
"I want to go back home, but I'm afraid of losing this business. If I can't continue it there, how will we survive?" she said.
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