Samaru Kataf
Samaru Kataf (Tyap: Chenkwon) is in the southern part of Kaduna State. The town is a junction town connecting Kagoro to the south, Zonkwa to the northwest and Zangon Kataf town to the northeast.
Understand
Samaru Kataf is one of the largest towns in Zangon Kataf local government area of Kaduna State.
The people here are majorly ethnic Atyap people who speak the Tyap language. It is the second largest town in Atyap land.
The name Samaru Kataf came from the Hausa, Samaru , a town close to Zaria, which also is a name of a peanut species which was developed and first cultivated in the Southern Kaduna region in the village. The Kataf, however, is the Hausa term for the Atyap or Tyap speaking people. The native Tyap name for the town is Chenkwon, meaning "Stream of Woods".
Get in
Samaru Kataf can be reached via land and air.
By plane
- 🌍 Yakubu Gowon Airport (JOS IATA) (84.5 km (1 hr 32 min) east of Samaru Kataf (via Jos-Kafanchan road)). The closest airport to Samaru Kataf. Arik Air runs a once a day domestic flight from Lagos to Jos.
- 🌍 Kaduna International Airport (KAD IATA) (22 km (14 mi) northwest of Kaduna city and 221 km (3 hr 15 min) northwest of Samaru Kataf). The second closest airport. Frequent daily flights from Lagos (1 hr 15 min) on Aero Nigeria, Dana Airlines and Air Peace.
- 🌍 Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport (ABV IATA) (40.5 km southwest of Abuja and 256 km (3 hr 46 min) southwest of Samaru Kataf). The third closest airport to Samaru Kataf. Several airlines offer international flights, notably, Lufthansa, KLM, British Airways, Emirates, Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines. Many visitors arrive on connecting flights from Lagos.
By car
- From Kaduna:
If you are arriving from Kaduna, you can board a vehicle going to Kafanchan and stop at the Samaru Kataf roundabout.
- From Abuja:
One could take an Uber or airport cab from the airport to the Sani Abacha Mega Bus Terminal in Karu, Nasarawa State. One gets a vehicle from the garage to Kafanchan at a fare of between ₦2,500 and ₦3,000. If you came via Keffi-Barde-Jagindi road, you should stop at Samaru Kataf junction at Agban in Kagoro, to board a vehicle to Samaru Kataf. But if you came through the Keffi-Barde-Kwoi road to Kafanchan, stop at NEPA Roundabout road motor park. But if the car stops before getting there, take a motorbike at ₦100 to get there. From there, you board a car going to Samaru Kataf at a price of about ₦200-₦400.
You can get to Samaru Kataf town through any of the following means like on motorbike, bicycle or foot, which would take longer.
Do
- 🌍 Ayet Atyap annual cultural festival, Agwatyap's palace ground, Atak Njei (11.1 km (15 minutes) due northeast via Kagoro-Samaru-Pari road). Can attend the festival which happens at an announced date in December.
Buy
- 🌍 Samaru Kataf Market (Q94M+8RJ, Kagoro Road, 802141, Samaru, Kaduna).
Eat
Finding pork and dog meat here is quite easy.
Learn
- 🌍 College of Agriculture, Nuhu Bamali Polytechnic, Matagama (Tagama) (Q97H+3JR, 802141, Samaru, Kaduna).
Connect
Cellular networks like MTN, Glo, 9mobile and Airtel are used here. The network strengths vary from one part of the town to the other.
Go next
From Samaru Kataf, one gets to other nearby places like:
- Kagoro - the home of the Afan National Festival
- Zangon Kataf - the historical town of the Atyap
- Zonkwa - the headquarters of the Zangon Kataf LGA