The Kano State Police Command has arrested 51 suspects and recovered dangerous weapons and illicit drugs during a three-day clearance operation across several volatile communities in the Kano metropolis.
The intelligence-led operation, which took place between Friday, June 13, and Sunday, June 15, targeted known criminal hideouts in Kano Municipal, Dala, Gwale, and Tarauni local government areas. Specifically, the police stormed areas such as Kofar Mata, Zage, Kurna, Rijiyar Lemo, Dorayi, Hotoro, and Sheka Quarters.
In a statement issued on Monday by the Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Hussaini Abdullahi, the Command said the suspects were arrested with weapons often used to terrorise residents, noting that the clampdown was part of ongoing efforts to rid the state capital of “thuggery and its associated crimes.”
“The Command’s intelligence-led offensives against thuggery in Kano metropolis have yielded tremendous success. A total of fifty-one (51) suspects were arrested, and several dangerous weapons and illicit drugs were recovered. The Command is fully determined to decisively tackle thuggery and its related offences”, the statement partly read.
The police listed the names and aliases of the suspects, many of whom are in their early twenties and hail from neighbourhoods such as Sheka, Hausawa, Bachirawa, and Zango.
Among the arrested were notorious individuals like Ayuba Zakariyya a.k.a Shamakin, 24; Aliyu Usaini a.k.a Aliko, 23; and Abdulsalam Abubakar, 19, all of whom were picked up from different hotspots in Sheka, Kurna, and surrounding areas.
The police warned that brandishing weapons under the guise of traditional performances, such as the controversial Kidan Gangi, would no longer be tolerated.
The practice, which often involves youths parading through neighbourhoods with swords, daggers, and other weapons, has drawn concern from authorities due to its links to rising violence.
The State Commissioner of Police, CP Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, warned that such displays on social media platforms—including TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter)—only serve to encourage and recruit teenagers into criminal gangs.
“Let this serve as a strong warning to individuals who engage in this form of reckless behaviour. The Kano State Police Command will not condone the promotion or normalisation of thuggery, either offline or online,” Bakori declared.
He also urged parents and guardians to take greater responsibility in monitoring their children’s movements and online activities.
“Any parent found conspiring with their wards to conceal weapons or allowing such to be kept at home will be investigated and prosecuted accordingly,” the statement added. “Blacksmiths who manufacture these dangerous weapons for youths will also face the full wrath of the law.”
The police have called on residents to support security efforts by reporting suspicious activities, promising that all reports will be treated with utmost confidentiality. (Punch)
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