Armed bandits from Katsina State invaded communities in Kano's Shanono and Tsanyawa local government areas, killing three villagers during a Friday evening attack. The incursion has heightened fears among residents, prompting calls for stronger border security. Local leaders report ongoing abductions and displacement in the affected areas.
On Friday evening, about 20 bandits crossed from Kogari village in Katsina State into Yanganau village in Tsanyawa Local Government Area of Kano State, Nigeria. An anonymous resident told The Guardian that the attackers later moved to Shanono communities, where they clashed with a joint security task force on patrol, resulting in the deaths of three villagers.
Professor Muhammed Dauda, a community leader from Kuraku village in the Faruruwa community of Shanono Local Government Area, described the escalating insecurity gripping areas like Goron Dutse, Makama, and Tsaure near Faruruwa. Speaking to journalists on Saturday, Dauda lamented that despite the presence of soldiers, civil defence, and other paramilitary forces including the Joint Task Force (JTF), attacks persist. “We thought the presence of soldiers, civil defence, and other paramilitary forces, including the JTF, would solve the issue, but it’s still the same, it’s like we are challenging them,” he said.
Dauda highlighted recent assaults in Unguwar Tsamiya, Yaudari, and Yan Ganau over the last three days, where people were killed and women abducted. “Our people now sleep elsewhere for fear of attack; they’ve abandoned their homes. Some who fled to urban centres cannot return,” he added, urging President Bola Tinubu, the new military leadership, and Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to secure borders with Katsina. He warned that Gwarzo and Tsanyawa face similar threats due to proximity.
In response, the Kano State Police Command recently arrested two suspected bandits terrorizing Shanono after an intensive raid. Earlier, Shanono Community Security Committee Chairman Alhaji Yahaya Umar Bagobir reported seven killings, the rustling of 70 cows, 10 kidnappings, and over ₦15 million in ransom extorted from Fulani communities.
The issue reached the Kano State House of Assembly on Tuesday, where Dr. Ali Lawan Kiyawa (Shanono Constituency) and Garba Ya’u Gwarmai (Gwaram/Tsanyawa Constituency) urged security agencies to intensify protection efforts for the vulnerable border areas.