TENSION has escalated in several rural communities of Shanono and Tsanyawa Local Government Areas of Kano State following a fresh bandit invasion that left at least three villagers dead and several others kidnapped.
News Point Nigeria reports that the latest incursion, which occurred Friday evening, comes amid growing fears of expanding bandit activities from neighbouring Katsina State into Kano’s border towns.
Eyewitnesses told journalists that about 20 heavily armed bandits stormed Yanganau village in Tsanyawa LGA before moving toward settlements in Shanono, where the killings were recorded after a violent encounter with a joint security task force.
A resident who spoke on condition of anonymity said the attackers crossed from Kogari village in Katsina, targeting unsuspecting villagers and forcing families to flee into nearby bush paths for safety.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, a community leader and university don, Professor Muhammed Dauda from Kuraku village in Faruruwa district, said the insecurity has reached alarming proportions despite the presence of military and paramilitary personnel.
“We thought the deployment of soldiers, civil defence officers and JTF would solve the crisis, but the situation keeps worsening. It is like we are provoking the bandits instead of stopping them,” he lamented.
Dauda listed areas most affected to include Goron Dutse, Makama, and Tsaure, adding that attacks have also been reported in Unguwar Tsamiya, Yaudari, and Yan Ganau, leaving residents displaced and afraid to sleep in their homes.
“Many have abandoned their communities at night out of fear. Some who escaped to urban centres cannot come back,” he said while appealing for urgent intervention.
He called on President Bola Tinubu, military chiefs and Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to strengthen surveillance and security around borders with Katsina to stop the persistent incursions.
“If urgent action is not taken, the bandits will penetrate deeper into Kano,” he warned.
Last week, the Kano State Police Command confirmed the arrest of two suspected bandits after a major raid, following a series of attacks that resulted in the murder of seven villagers and the theft of over 70 cattle.
The Chairman of the Shanono Community Security Committee, Alhaji Yahaya Umar Bagobir, earlier raised alarm that bandits had kidnapped 10 residents and extorted over ₦15 million in ransom from predominantly Fulani settlements under the council.
The deteriorating security situation has drawn the attention of the Kano State House of Assembly.
During Tuesday’s plenary, lawmakers representing Shanono Constituency, Dr. Ali Lawan Kiyawa, and Ghari/Tsanyawa Constituency, Garba Ya’u Gwarmai, urged security agencies to urgently reinforce their operations in the region to prevent more casualties.