Kano community cries for help as bandits intensify attacks

Residents of Shanono Local Government Area in Kano State have raised fresh concerns over persistent assaults by armed bandits terrorising their communities and neighbouring villages.

During a press briefing in Kano on Thursday, Yahaya Umar Bagobiri, who chairs the Faruruwa Security Committee, revealed that the area had been facing unrelenting attacks since 2022. He said the assailants, often crossing into Kano from Katsina State, have continued to unleash violence and destruction.

“We have been facing serious security challenges for the past three years. Bandits have been coming from Katsina into Faruruwa and its surrounding areas to kill, kidnap, and steal our animals,” Bagobiri said.

According to him, the wave of attacks has led to the loss of lives, widespread destruction of property, and theft of livestock, including cows, goats, and rams.

“At least 150 cows have so far been taken, and the bandits usually come on motorcycles, sometimes up to 50 of them, to kidnap people, kill residents, or steal animals,” he stated.

Bagobiri disclosed that since 2022, the community had lost more than 1,600 cows, dozens of motorcycles, and several valuable items to the marauders.

He called on President Bola  Tinubu and Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to take swift action to safeguard the area by deploying additional security personnel.

“We are calling on the federal and state governments, particularly Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, to assist us and work closely with the security agencies, especially the army and police to protect our people,” he appealed.

The community leader further lamented that several villages near Faruruwa had already been deserted, as residents fled to neighbouring Katsina State for safety.

Flanked by other elders during the briefing, Bagobiri warned that unless urgent security measures were implemented, the entire stretch of border communities could soon be overrun by bandits.