Bandits infiltrate Kano border communities

With incidents of banditry escalating in Katsina State and slowly moving into areas that have not entered into peace deals with bandits and border communities, villagers in Shanono Local Government Area of Kano State are currently living in fear. Weekend Trust reports that there have been a series of renewed raids by armed bandits who […]

With incidents of banditry escalating in Katsina State and slowly moving into areas that have not entered into peace deals with bandits and border communities, villagers in Shanono Local Government Area of Kano State are currently living in fear. Weekend Trust reports that there have been a series of renewed raids by armed bandits who cross into the state from neighbouring Katsina, killing residents, abducting people and carting away scores of cattle and motorcycles.

Community leaders and residents told Weekend Trust that the attacks, which have been recurring since 2022, intensified in recent days. They said one of the worst scenarios witnessed hundreds of gunmen on motorcycles attacking settlements at night. Local sources put the number of attackers in some raids at 150, saying they arrived on at least 50 motorcycles during each attack.

“They come in force, in the morning, evening and night. Since 2022 we have been suffering. They come from Katsina, cross the border and attack our communities.

“They come on motorcycles, sometimes in groups of 30 to 50. They kidnap people, kill and rustle our animals.

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“We have been facing serious security challenges for the past three years. Bandits have been coming from Katsina into Faruruwa and its surroundings to kill, kidnap and steal our animals. At least 150 cows have so far been taken,” said Yahaya Umar Bagobiri, the chairman of Faruruwa Security Committee while addressing journalists in Kano. He called for urgent help.

Bagobiri added that since 2022, the community had lost over 1,600 cows, dozens of motorcycles and other valuables to the persistent attacks.

He also said some communities around Faruruwa had been deserted as residents fled to neighbouring Katsina State for safety.

Residents also noted that the raids have had devastating economic and social effects on the community. 

A member of the community who preferred anonymity said, “What we have lost go beyond livestock. Farms have been abandoned, markets are quieter and many families have fled their homes. Our people are under siege.”

Weekend Trust gathered that communities along the Katsina-Kano border, including Faruruwa, Kuraku, Goron-Dutse, Tsaure and Yan-Shado have been repeatedly targeted.

Members of the community said the bandits always exploited porous boundaries and bush tracks to launch devastating raids and withdraw before security agencies would respond.

In April this year, suspected bandits attacked a market in Faruruwa, leaving two people dead and abducted one.

While precise casualty figures remain difficult to verify independently, multiple community members are crying over numerous fatalities, abductions and mass livestock theft.

Residents also said the economic impact of the attacks was devastating as cattle and other livestock, which the bandits always rustle, represent wealth and livelihood for many households, even as local trade and farming activities in the communities are affected. Loss of animals and the inability to farm in some parts of these villages strip families of income and push them into debt and food insecurity.

…. Alhjai Kasimu Jafaru, a businessman living in Faruruwa relocated to Tsanyawa for fear of the unknown. According to him ever since the attacks became worrisome, he and some other businessmen decided to relocate to neighbouring Tsanyawa. “We do not know who will be the next target, it is apparent that these bandits are from Katsina, though the attack isn’t often, but we had to relocate for our safety,” he said.

Similarly, Hassan Isah who now lives in Hotoro quarters of Nassarawa local Government said he relocated his family into the city even though he frequents Faruruwa for his farming activities. “I have a house in Kano town and I frequent the village especially during the wet-season to farm, but with the recent development, I had to move my family to my city, pending the outcome of the community’s formal complaints to the state authorities. We are optimistic that the state government will act on the matter,” said Isah.

 Community leaders have variously called on both the federal government and the Kano State Government to step in by urgently deploying additional security personnel, including military patrols and intelligence support to protect border settlements and disrupt the movement of bandits across state lines.

Residents noted that they were vulnerable; and unless a decisive action is taken, the raids have the ability to spread into the hinterland.

Sani Yusuf (not real name) said, “We are calling on the state government to see what is happening in Katsina, Zamfara, Kaduna and other neighbouring states and take precautionary measures. These people are testing the ground and the state actors should be on alert.”

Also speaking, a resident of Tsaure village, located within the urban centre said, “Since these issues began, I hardly sleep at home. I have taken my mother back to my place in the city. They started like this in other states and we have seen what it turned into. It is high time we secure our borders in Kano and become more proactive.”

Local vigilante units and community defence groups said they had tried to push the bandits back but were often outnumbered and overwhelmed. 

A trader at a border town who asked not to be named for fear of attacks said, “We often hear them coming. The sound of motorcycles is the signal. By morning you count losses from animals, tools, and sometimes, missing persons.” 

An elder from Faruruwa, where these attacks often happened warned, “If help does not come, the border towns will become empty. People will give up farming and move to the city.”

 

Suspected bandits arrested

The Kano State police command said it had arrested suspected two bandits behind the attacks on communities in Shanono Local Government Area.

Confirming the arrest, the command’s spokesperson, SP Abdullahi Haruna, said the suspects were collaborating with a bandit syndicate in the Shanono area and attempting to infiltrate the state.

Haruna also said efforts were in place to apprehend other members of the syndicate. He noted that acting on credible intelligence from members of Farin Ruwa community in Shanono Local Government, combined operatives coordinated a tactical operation on Friday, October 24, 2025, where two suspects believed to be members of an armed banditry syndicate were arrested.

“The suspects are alleged to have been collaborating with bandits operating within the area, attempting to infiltrate Kano State. The command has launched a comprehensive investigation to uncover the extent of their activities and connection,” he noted.

He also noted that efforts were being intensified to apprehend other members of the syndicate and bring them to justice, adding that the commissioner of police appreciated the cooperation of Farin Ruwa community and urged residents to remain vigilant and continue to support the police by promptly reporting suspicious activities,” he said.

 

Security expert warns, calls for empowerment

Speaking on the issue, a security expert, Detective Auwal Bala Durumin Iya, raised concerns over the growing infiltration of bandits into parts of Kano State, particularly in the border communities of Shanono Local Government Area. He warned that if urgent steps are not taken, the situation could deteriorate into widespread insecurity in the state.

Iya said recent reports of attacks in villages within Shanono indicated that the menace of kidnapping and rural banditry, once limited to neighbouring North-West states, was gradually creeping into Kano.

“You see, banditry is gradually coming into Kano and even reaching villages. If care is not taken, something worse may happen. Some kidnappers and insurgents have entered Kano villages, kidnapping and molesting people,” he said.

He, however, noted that timely intervention by the military and local vigilante groups helped prevent further escalation of the attacks.

“If not because of the intervention of some soldiers and other security vigilantes we have in Kano State, the situation could have been worse,” he added.

The security expert stressed that vigilante groups played a critical role in curbing the spread of violence, especially in rural and border communities, but lamented their lack of adequate training and modern equipment.

“Vigilantes are supporting other security agencies like the police and army. All the information comes from them and local residents. Vigilantes can help if they have modern training,” he explained.

Durumin Iya revealed that he had conducted training sessions across several local government areas in Kano to build the capacity of community vigilante operatives on intelligence gathering and counterinsurgency techniques.

He, however, emphasised that lack of sophisticated weapons and financial motivation remained a major challenge.

“The problem is that vigilantes don’t have sophisticated weapons to protect communities effectively. They also lack the authority to pursue bandits, unless the government supports them with modern weapons, allowances and encouragement,” he said.

According to him, the vigilantes have the competence, courage and local knowledge to defend their communities if properly supported.

Iya, who presented a paper at a recent security conference in Kano, advised the state government to prioritise the protection of forest areas, which he described as “the main hideouts for criminals and kidnappers.”

“I advised the state government to protect our forests by engaging people who are well versed with the terrain. They should be given two types of training — kick forest and think forest — and provided with sophisticated weapons to safeguard our forests,” he said.

He further urged the government to establish an independent centre for intelligence research in the state. The centre, he said, would bring together experts from diverse fields to study emerging security threats and provide timely intelligence to the government before incidents occur.

“The centre should brainstorm and conduct research to advise the government even before the occurrence of any major security incident. That kind of proactive intelligence system is very important,” he added.

Beyond security, Iya also recommended a strategic link between economic empowerment and crime prevention. He called on the Kano State Government to implement the National Skills Qualification (NSQ) framework to recognise and certify local artisans and informal sector workers.

“This will help those who have skills but no formal certificates, such mechanics, GSM repairers and local fabricators, to become professionals. It will enable them to train others, reduce unemployment and discourage youths from joining criminal groups,” he explained.

He noted that addressing the root causes of insecurity, such as joblessness and poverty remained vital to sustainable peace.

“The issue of unemployment must be reduced drastically. Once people have jobs and skills, they are less likely to be lured into banditry or kidnapping,” Durumin Iya emphasized.

He concluded by urging the Kano State Government to act swiftly in implementing proactive intelligence measures, empowering local security operatives and expanding socioeconomic programmes to prevent the infiltration of bandits and insurgents into the state.

“My advice is for the government to empower our local security system, protect the forests and establish an intelligence research centre. Prevention is better than cure when it comes to security,” Iya added.

 Another security expert with one of the industries in Kano Malam Buba Adamu noted that the area should be under watch like Karaye and Gwarzo axis. He explained that being a border town with states affected by banditry, it is apparent that such areas would be prone to attacks hence the need to devise proactive measures to provide security to the villages.

“It is clear that authorities have deviced measures to address any rising security challenge in some border towns such as Rimin Gado, Karaye and Gwarzo, there are security formations in those areas. However, despite being a border town, Faruwa axis has no security formation hence the attacks in the area. Such formations should be adopted in the area to avert future occurrence,” 

 

Kano Assembly demands urgent action

Similarly, the Kano State House of Assembly has called on the government to urgently address the escalating insecurity in Tsanyawa and Bagwai local government areas.

The call followed a joint motion of urgent public importance sponsored by members representing Shanono/Bagwai, Ghari and Tsanyawa constituencies during plenary presided over by Speaker Jibril Ismail Falgore.

Moving the motion, Ali Lawan Alhassan Kiyawa and Garba Ya’u Gwarmai expressed concern over the increasing cases of cattle rustling, kidnapping and killings in the affected areas.

They revealed that thousands of cattle had been rustled in recent weeks, noting that the two local government areas share borders with Katsina State, a situation that has worsened the security challenges.

The lawmakers urged the state government to deploy more security personnel and release adequate funds to the affected local councils to help curb the menace, warning that continued insecurity could cripple business activities and education in the region.

In another motion of urgent public importance, the House called for an immediate intervention to assist victims of a recent fire outbreak at Shuwaki market in Ghari Local Government Area.

Presenting the motion, Garba Ya’u Gwarmai, the member representing Ghari/Tsanyawa constituency, said the market served as a major hub for agricultural and livestock trade, attracting traders from Kano and neighbouring states.

He appealed for the establishment of a fire service station, police outpost and accessible roads leading to the market to prevent future occurrences and enhance security.

At the time of filing this report, official statements directly from the Kano State Government responding to the specific recent raids were not in the public record.

Efforts to speak with the commissioner for internal security were not successful as his phone was switched off.