Bandits Abduct Eight Residents in Fresh Kano Attack

At least eight residents have been abducted following a late-night raid on Biresawa village in Tsanyawa Local Government Area of Kano State.

According to community sources, the attackers stormed the village between 11 p.m. and midnight on Monday, moving swiftly and seizing two men and six women. Their whereabouts remain unknown as of Tuesday morning.

A resident, Kabiru Usman, whose wife and daughter were among those taken, said the gunmen approached through the neighbouring Tsundu village. “They came on foot, armed. They kidnapped my wife, Umma; my 17-year-old daughter, Fati; my brother’s wife, and two other women,” he said, adding that locals attempted to resist but were outgunned.

Usman also noted that villagers had alerted security operatives earlier in the evening after receiving intelligence that the bandits were heading toward the area.

Multiple communities were targeted during the coordinated assault. Residents of Sarmawa, Yan Chibi and Gano villages reported similar incursions. A witness from Yan Chibi said about 50 armed men on motorcycles fired shots into the air, causing residents to flee. He confirmed that several people—mostly women—were abducted, with the number estimated at over 10.

A member of the local vigilante group said security volunteers pursued the attackers but lost their trail as the bandits crossed into Katsina State. He added that strange movements had been observed in the days leading up to the attack, heightening fears across the region.

Ongoing insecurity has forced many families to abandon their homes at night, while several villages around Tsanyawa, Shanono and Bagwai have been partially deserted. Some residents have relocated to Faruruwa town or moved to urban centres for safety.

Efforts to reach Kano Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abdullahi Kiyawa, were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.

The latest raid follows an earlier incident in which five women were abducted from Yan Kwada village in Faruruwa community, despite intensified military operations in the region.