Armed bandits on Monday night abducted 10 people during coordinated attacks on Biresawa and Tsundu villages in Tsanyawa local government area of Kano State, heightening fears that criminal gangs are relocating their activities to previously safer border communities.
The attackers, who reportedly came on foot around 10 p.m., stormed Biresawa and took five residents before moving to Tsundu, where they seized another five. Victims were mostly women and girls.
Kabiru Usman, a relative of some of the abducted victims in Biresawa, said his wife, 17-year-old daughter, his brother’s wife, and two other women were among those taken. “They came on foot, armed with guns. We tried to stop them, but our weapons were no match for theirs”, he said. Usman added that residents had alerted the police and military after receiving earlier warnings that the bandits were heading toward the area.
Despite these alerts, the attackers overpowered community efforts and escaped with the victims. Usman appealed to government authorities to act swiftly to rescue the kidnapped residents, noting that communities in the area have been living in fear amid rising attacks.
Kano Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abdullahi Kiyawa, said he was working to verify the situation and would provide an official update.
The latest assault comes amid growing concerns that bandits from neighbouring Katsina State are taking advantage of the recent peace agreement in Ingawa, Kankia, and Kusada LGAs to shift their operations into border villages in Kano.
Residents say instead of reducing violence, the peace deal may be pushing criminal gangs into new territories — leaving once peaceful communities exposed and vulnerable.
