Towns and Villages in Kaduna State

Kaduna State sits in Nigeria’s North West geopolitical zone, with Kaduna city as its capital. The state has 23 local government areas and recorded a population of 6,113,503 at the 2006 census, projected to reach 9,032,200 by 2022. Every LGA below links to its full town-and-village list where we cover it.

Local Government Areas in Kaduna State

These are the 23 official LGAs of Kaduna State, listed alphabetically with their census and projected populations. Kaduna North, Kaduna South, and the northern LGAs of Giwa, Igabi, and Zaria form the built-up core around the state capital, while the remaining LGAs stretch across largely rural farming and grazing country.

Kaduna State has 23 official local government areas, and 15 of them have full town-and-village lists on this site.

Geography

Kaduna State lies on the northern Nigerian high plains, a broad tableland several hundred metres above sea level. The Kaduna River, a major tributary of the River Niger, crosses the state from the northeast and gave Kaduna city its name. It borders Katsina and Zamfara states to the north and northwest, Niger State to the west, the Federal Capital Territory and Nasarawa State to the south, and Plateau, Bauchi, and Kano states to the east and northeast. The terrain ranges from open savanna and farmland across the northern LGAs to hillier, more wooded country toward the southern LGAs around Kagarko, Jaba, Jema’a, and Sanga, where rock outcrops break up the landscape. Two seasons dominate the climate: a wet season from roughly May to October and a dry, dusty harmattan season for the rest of the year. Kaduna city itself sits near the geographic centre of the state and was laid out by the British colonial administration as a planned railway town in the early twentieth century, later becoming the administrative capital of the old Northern Region. Southern Kaduna, covering LGAs such as Jaba, Kaura, Sanga, Zangon-Kataf, and Kagarko, is home to a large number of distinct ethnic communities, including the Atyap, Bajju, Adara, Ham, and Kagoro, each with its own language and village traditions. The state’s northern LGAs are predominantly Hausa-speaking, with a shared trading and farming culture that extends into neighbouring Katsina, Kano, and Zamfara states.

Economy & Local Life

Farming anchors life across most of Kaduna State’s LGAs, with guinea corn, maize, millet, cotton, ginger, and tobacco as the leading crops, alongside groundnuts, rice, and vegetables in the river valleys. Cattle rearing and dairy trade are important across the drier northern districts, where seasonal grazing routes cross into neighbouring Katsina and Zamfara states. Kaduna city grew around the railway, then around textile mills, vehicle assembly plants, and the Kaduna Refinery, and it remains a hub for trade, transport, and light manufacturing in the North West. Zaria, one of the historic Hausa city-states, carries its own trading and craft tradition in leatherwork, dyeing, and weaving, and is home to Ahmadu Bello University, one of Nigeria’s largest, which supports a wide services and education economy across the state. Weekly markets in towns such as Kachia, Kafanchan (Jema’a), and Saminaka (Lere) remain the main trading points for farm produce moving toward Kaduna city.

FAQ

How many local government areas are in Kaduna State?

Kaduna State has 23 local government areas, spread across its northern, central, and southern districts.

What is the capital of Kaduna State?

The capital of Kaduna State is Kaduna city, which also served as the administrative capital of Nigeria’s old Northern Region.

What is the population of Kaduna State?

Kaduna State had a population of 6,113,503 at the 2006 census, projected to reach 9,032,200 by 2022.

Which LGA in Kaduna State has the largest population?

Igabi is Kaduna State’s largest LGA by population, with 430,753 people at the 2006 census, projected to 636,400 by 2022.

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