LACK of effective security, poor street lighting, and weak law enforcement have left residents of Kano exposed to violent night-time attacks, with criminals targeting pedestrians and commuters. The ICIR documents how ordinary journeys home have become dangerous, leaving victims injured, traumatised, and fearful of moving at night.
Musa Aliyu was racing against time as he hurried home after work on a quiet night in Kano. The 31-year-old journalist knew that once the clock struck 10 p.m., finding a tricycle to his home would become nearly impossible due to the state’s movement restrictions.
It was around 9:15 p.m. when Musa walked along Club Road in Bompai, an area poorly lit and swallowed by darkness. He was close to the junction where he hoped to secure a ride home when a voice suddenly broke the silence.
“Give us your phone,” the voice barked.
Before Musa could react, one of the attackers placed a knife in his hand and slashed him. Blood immediately began to gush from the deep cut as pain shot through his arm. Crying out for help, Musa watched helplessly as the assailant snatched his phone and ran across the road, mounting a motorcycle that had been waiting nearby. Within seconds, the attackers disappeared into the night.
Dizzy from blood loss and unable to continue walking, Musa staggered to a nearby media house and sat down, fearing he might collapse. For several minutes, no one came to his aid. It was only after about 10 to 15 minutes that two people emerged from the area. Musa pleaded with them to alert his workplace, just a few minutes away.
Soon after, colleagues from his station arrived and rushed him to the hospital. Later that night, he was taken to the Bompai Police Division, where he reported the incident. But with no clear identification of the attackers, the case stalled.
More than a year later, Musa still bears the physical and emotional scars of the attack. The deep knife wound damaged a vein in his hand, leaving him unable to move one of his fingers properly. Despite treatment, the pain has not gone away.
“Up till now, over a year later, the place is still paining me,” he told The ICIR, adding, “Just yesterday, I told my mother I might need to go back to the hospital.”
Following the incident, fear now dictates his movements. Musa stopped night duties for nearly a year and has only recently returned to work, restricting himself to weekends. On days he works late, he sleeps at the radio station rather than risk the journey home.
“I’m genuinely scared. These people are using knives and dangerous weapons.”
He continues to live with pain, fear, and unanswered questions—while those who attacked him remain at large, moving freely through the same streets where his life was forever altered.
Musa is one of many residents who have fallen victim to armed thugs locally referred to as Yan Daba (area thugs) or Yan Kwace (phone snatchers) operating across Kano, particularly at night. These attackers target pedestrians, often wielding knives and other weapons, making nighttime movement increasingly dangerous for residents.
Kano’s rising menace of phone snatchers, night attacks
Kano, Nigeria’s most populous state, has in recent years recorded a noticeable rise in incidents of mobile phone theft and nighttime street attacks, particularly within the Kano metropolis.
Residents said these crimes are prevalent in densely populated areas such as markets, bus stops, road junctions, and residential neighbourhoods with limited street lighting. The incidents often occur early morning or late evening, when pedestrian movement is still high, but security presence is limited.
According to multiple locals, the attackers commonly operate either in small groups or on motorcycles, enabling them to strike quickly and flee before victims or bystanders can respond.
In some cases, attackers are reported to be armed with knives or other sharp objects, which they use to intimidate victims or inflict injuries during resistance. These methods have contributed to the growing fear among residents, particularly commuters, traders, and night-shift workers.
Apart from the immediate loss of property, phone theft has bigger consequences for victims. In Kano, as in much of Nigeria, mobile phones serve as essential tools for communication, banking, business transactions, and access to social services.
In most cases victims lost access to mobile banking applications, business contacts, personal data, and important documents stored on their devices. As a result, phone snatching often leads to financial losses that extend well beyond the value of the device itself.
Findings by The ICIR showed that there exist informal and underground markets where stolen phones are resold. These markets, which operate discreetly within the city and surrounding areas, allow stolen devices to be quickly recirculated, making recovery difficult.
The ease with which stolen phones can be resold has been cited by security analysts as a factor sustaining the crime, as it provides a ready economic incentive for perpetrators.
A Kano-based public affairs analyst, Musa Abdullahi Sufi, attributed the surge in phone snatching and nighttime attacks in Kano to a mix of poor education, unemployment, weak community structures, and ineffective deterrence.
He explained that limited access to quality education and jobs has left many young people vulnerable to criminal networks, while the breakdown of communal oversight has reduced informal checks that once discouraged deviant behaviour.
“When people are not properly educated, the tendency for them to make wrong decisions in life increases,” Musa said, stressing, “It affects their employability and how they are guided in society, and that creates room for criminality.”
Musa pointed to the erosion of traditional community responsibility, noting that families are increasingly reluctant to discipline or caution other people’s children for fear of confrontation.
According to him, this social withdrawal has allowed violent behaviour to go unchecked at the grassroots level.
“In the past, every family took responsibility for other people’s children,” he said. “Today, if you try to correct a child, it can easily lead to violence between families, so people just look away.”
On law enforcement, the analyst argued that the absence of sustained punishment has emboldened offenders, allowing them to return to the same communities after committing violent crimes.
He said this cycle has weakened public trust in the justice system and encouraged repeat offences.
“You see them kill or attack people, and after some months or a year, you see the same people back in the community,” Musa said. “They continue doing the same thing, and that sends a message that there are no consequences.”
He further alleged that political interference has worsened the crisis, particularly during election seasons, when some violent youths are allegedly used for protection or intimidation.
According to him, this political patronage reinforces the sense of immunity among perpetrators.
“Some politicians use these boys as protection, especially during rallies,” he said. “They carry weapons openly in front of everybody, and that gives them power. Once that power is given, it becomes difficult to control them.”
While acknowledging recent government initiatives, Musa said the scale of response does not match the depth of the problem. He stressed the need for deeper engagement with affected youths and communities, rather than relying solely on arrests or short-term programmes.
“There must be serious, massive engagement. Not just talking to one or two people but understanding the real causes deeply and hearing directly from those involved, including those who want to repent.”
Musa criticised gaps in rehabilitation efforts, noting that not all offenders are ready for immediate reintegration into society.
He argued that some require long-term monitoring, counselling, and structured reform before being released back into their communities.
More survivors narrate encounters with attackers
Safiyya Bawa had just finished work and was heading around Sheka, a popular area in Kano metropolis, when she sensed there were criminals around waiting for their next victim. She continued walking stealthily, reciting supplications out of fear.
“Suddenly, they came out of nowhere,” Safiyya recalled. “One of them suddenly grabbed my bag while another pulled out a knife. Before I could even shout for help, I felt something sharp piercing through my arm. I screamed, but the noise of the road drowned my voice.”
They snatched her iPhone 16, a device that held her work, contacts, and memories, and she was left bleeding, dizzy, and helpless.
Passersby gathered, some offering help, others just watching in fear. Someone helped her wrap her arm with a piece of cloth and took her to a nearby clinic.
Upon reaching the hospital, the doctor said she was lucky as the knife narrowly missed a major vein.
“Now, every time I board a Keke, I look around, wondering who might be planning the next attack,” Safiyya said.
As he made his way home after a long day at work in Kano, Ahmed Musa had no reason to believe the night would be any different from countless others before it. The streets were lively, familiar, and filled with the usual evening bustle. Tired and eager to rest, he walked on, absent-mindedly scrolling through messages on his phone.
Ahmed, who lives in Dorayi in Gwale Local Government Area, was just a few steps into his journey when everything changed.
Without warning, he felt a sudden, forceful tug. In an instant, a man dashed past him, snatching his phone with frightening speed. Ahmed tried to resist, but before he could regain his balance, another attacker came from behind. In the brief struggle that followed, a sharp pain tore through his arm.
He stumbled and fell to the ground, scraping his knees and palms against the rough pavement as blood trickled down his arm. Within seconds, the attackers vanished into the darkness, leaving him injured and shaken.
Ahmed sat on the street, trembling, trying to comprehend how a routine walk home had turned into a violent encounter. Moments later, neighbours rushed to his aid and helped him get treatment at a nearby clinic, where his wounds were cleaned and bandaged.
“I never imagined something like this could happen so quickly,” Ahmed said. “One moment, everything was normal, and the next, I was bleeding on the street.”
Ashiru Muhammad would remember that evening when he was attacked for reasons he never anticipated. The young man had just closed from work and boarded a tricycle from Naibawa to Sabon Gari, a route he travelled often. It was half full, and he sat in the middle seat, surrounded by passengers who appeared ordinary. Unknown to him, he was sharing the ride with phone snatchers.
Not long after the journey began, one of the passengers tapped him lightly on the shoulder. The touch startled him.
“I turned sharply and asked him why he touched me,” Ashiru recalled. “Something about the ride didn’t feel right.”
Trusting his instincts, Ashiru asked the driver to stop and alighted from the tricycle. He boarded another Keke, believing he had avoided a looming danger.
But the day was not done with him.
After completing the rest of his work, Ashiru set out for home again, exhausted and focused only on getting some rest. Unknowingly, he boarded the same Keke Napep. The faces were familiar. The driver was the same.
“After about twenty minutes, I started to feel strange. My thoughts became disorganised. My body felt heavy, and it was like something was controlling my mind. I was aware of what was happening around me, but I couldn’t react.”
When the tricycle reached his stop, Ashiru struggled to climb down. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he reached instinctively for his pocket. His phone was gone.
Kano government responds
In response to the growing incidence of phone snatching and night attacks, the Kano State Government has announced a series of security interventions aimed at curbing the menace across the metropolis.
Central to these efforts is the deployment of paramilitary personnel to identified crime hotspots within the state, particularly urban areas where reports of phone theft and nighttime attacks have become frequent.
The initiative is coordinated through the Kano State Anti-Illicit Drugs and Phone Snatching Committee, chaired by Gambo Ahmed.
According to the state government, the deployment is intended to strengthen internal security operations and restore public confidence amid rising concerns over urban crime.
In October 2025, the state government also initiated the recruitment of 600 volunteer youths to form a Special Anti-Phone Snatching and VIP Protection Guards unit as part of broader preventive measures.
The first batch of 380 volunteers has since completed training under the Special Anti-Phone Snatching Squad (KOSSAP)at the Kano State Corporate Security Institute, Gabasawa, in a programme designed to support existing security agencies.
According to a statement issued by the Director of Public Relations and Enlightenment, Ministry of Internal Security and Special Services, Muhammad Idris, the two-week intensive training focuses on equipping the volunteers with the skills and discipline required to safeguard lives and property.
The curriculum includes paramilitary drills, phone snatching prevention strategies, VIP protection, defensive driving, and lectures delivered by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and Hisbah personnel, alongside counselling sessions and physical fitness training.
The Commandant of the institute, Muhammad Bello Mai Gaskiya, explained that the programme is tailored to address the rise in urban crimes, particularly phone snatching and thuggery within the Kano metropolis. He noted that upon completion of the training, the volunteers would be formally absorbed by the state government and placed on a monthly stipend to support sustained engagement.
Following the training exercise, the government deployed the first batch of 380 trained marshals to strategic locations across the city. Officials described the move as a “people-oriented response” to the persistent problem of phone theft and petty crimes.
According to government statements, the marshals were selected and trained to respond swiftly to incidents of phone snatching, pickpocketing, and related street crimes.
Despite these measures, phone theft and nighttime attacks continue to be reported in several parts of Kano.
Nurudeen Akewushola is an investigative reporter and fact-checker with The ICIR. He believes courageous in-depth investigative reporting is the key to social justice, accountability and good governance in society. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 on Twitter.