Tension as ‘bandits from Katsina invade Kano’ communities
Bandits
…residents cry out for help
By Ibrahim Hassan-Wuyo
Residents of Shanono Local Government Area in Kano State have raised the alarm over recurring attacks by armed bandits allegedly crossing over from neighbouring Katsina State to unleash terror on their communities.
Briefing newsmen, leader of Farin-Ruwa community, Alhaji Yahaya Bagobiri, appealed to both the federal and state governments to urgently intervene before the situation gets out of control.
“We are appealing to President Bola Tinubu and Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to come to our rescue. Many of our people have started fleeing their homes to Kano metropolis and nearby towns due to incessant attacks,” Bagobiri said.
According to him, the bandits launched fresh assaults last Tuesday and Wednesday, injuring several persons and rustling dozens of cattle.
Shanono, located about 85 kilometres from the state capital, shares boundaries with Kankiya, Musawa, and Danja local government areas of Katsina State — all known flashpoints of bandit activities.
Bagobiri listed the most affected communities as Farin-Ruwa, Kuraku, Gorantuse, Saure, and Shadu, noting that residents now live in fear of further attacks.
“Just two days ago, the bandits attacked again, wounded some residents, and carted away more than 40 cows, besides other animals and properties,” he said.
A resident, who pleaded anonymity, told the BBC Hausa Service that the attacks have persisted for the past two to three months.
”They have invaded our area about seven or eight times now. The losses are enormous I can’t even quantify the value of the livestock and property we’ve lost,” the resident lamented.
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He said that during the latest attack, the gunmen stole several herds of cattle estimated at between 800 and 1,000.
“This time, they didn’t abduct anyone, but they shot some people. In previous attacks, they used to shoot people at our local market in Farin-Ruwa,” he recounted.
He added that while the motive of the attackers remains unclear, locals suspect that the community’s relative wealth in livestock might have made it a target.
“In the past, we only heard of such attacks from afar, but now they have become our daily reality,” he said sorrowfully.
For years, Kano State has been regarded as one of the few relatively peaceful states in Nigeria’s North-West region, even as neighbouring states like Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, and Kaduna have been plagued by persistent bandit attacks, kidnappings, and cattle rustling. However, the recent incursions into parts of Kano have raised fears that the violence long contained in adjoining states may now be spreading into the state.
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