Zazzau, a
traditional state which lies within the province's capital, is said to have been founded in 1536. It would later be renamed to
Zaria after the younger sister of
Queen Amina. The
Hausa people of
Zaria & the
Ham people of
Jaba, are said to be the old ancestral of the region's north & south respectively. It is indicative that the name, Kaduna, was taken up by Lord
Frederick Lugard and his colonial colleagues when they moved the capital of the then Northern Region from
Zungeru to Kaduna City in 1916. This move of the colonial office to Kaduna city started in 1912–1918/20, with the initial effort having been made in 1902 from Jebba to Zungeru. At the start of British colonial rule in northern Nigeria, the people groups who lived in the area became 'Northern Nigerians'- a construct which continues even today. By 1967 these people groups were again carved into 'North Central State'; this was the case until 1975 when 'Kaduna State' was formerly created by the then military leader, Gen.
Murtala Mohammed, with all distinct identities amalgamated into one state without a referendum. The state hence is the successor of the old
Northern Region of Nigeria, which had its capital at Kaduna which is now the state capital of about 6.3 million people (Nigerian census figure, 2006). In 1967, the old
Northern Region was divided into six states in the north, leaving Kaduna as the capital of North-Central State, whose name was changed to Kaduna State in 1976. Meanwhile, Kaduna State was further divided in 1987, creating
Katsina State. Under the governance of Kaduna are the ancient cities of
Zaria,
Kafanchan, and
Nok. The most intriguing aspect of this area is that the colonial construction and its post-colonial successor called 'Nigeria' hardly documented the history or the method of how Kaduna State's people groups encompassed in these constructs define and identify themselves. As such, the people groups who populate the area have lived in near oblivion or obscurity as they are often thought of as
Hausa people. In 2019 Kaduna State celebrated its 100th anniversary, making it one of the oldest states in Nigeria. In 2021, Kaduna State was the site of several major attacks done by bandits involved in the
Nigerian bandit conflict. On 24 February, at least 34 were killed in
attacks in Kaduna and neighboring Katsina state. On 11 March,
39 students were kidnapped when gunmen attacked the Federal College of Forestry Mechanization. On 20 April, in another raid by bandits on
Greenfield University students and staff,
22 were kidnapped and 6 of them were killed. On 5 July, a further
140 students were kidnapped from Bethel Baptist High School. Attacks have continued into 2022, 2023, and 2024. ==Geography==