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.
Read Also: Defiled @ 12, a mother @ 13: ‘Pastor said I would die if I told anyone’
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, the 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,” he said.
According to Bagobiri, bandits launched fresh assaults on Tuesday and Wednesday, injuring several persons and rustling dozens of cattle.
Shanono, located in the northwest of Kano 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 attacks.
While Kano has largely been spared from large-scale banditry ravaging Kaduna and Katsina, the recent incursions have raised fears that the crisis may be spreading.
Bagobiri listed the most affected communities as Farin-Ruwa, Kuraku, Gorantuse, Saure, and Shadu.
“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.
Another resident, who pleaded anonymity, told the BBC Hausa Service in an interview, that the attacks have persisted for the past two to three months.
“They have invaded our area about seven or eight times now,” he said.
“The losses are enormous — I can’t even quantify the value of the livestock and property we’ve lost.”
He added that during the latest attacks, 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,” the resident recounted.
He noted that the motive of the attackers remains unclear, but 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 lamented.
The post Katsina bandits invade Kano communities appeared first on Vanguard News.
