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There was tension on Monday in the Ƙofar Ruwa area of Kano State as aggrieved residents poured onto the streets, burning tyres and demanding that police release arrested suspected bandits so they could deal with them themselves.
In a video obtained by SaharaReporters, thick smoke rose from burning tyres placed across the main road as residents shouted in anger over reports that suspected kidnappers had been brought into the station.
The unrest forced police operatives to storm the area in a bid to restore calm and prevent escalation.
Eyewitnesses said the crowd became enraged after learning that the suspects were being held within the police station.
In the video, a man is heard saying, “They brought kidnappers to Ƙofar Ruwa. People swore that they would pull them out and kill them. That’s why the police refused and even blocked the road with tyres.”
The police presence was described as swift and forceful, as officers moved to put out the fires and disperse the gathering crowd to prevent the situation from spiralling into mob violence.
At the time of filing this report, normalcy had been partially restored, though residents remained on edge.
Police authorities had yet to issue an official statement regarding the identities of the arrested suspects or the cause of the unrest.
SaharaReporters previously reported that the League of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Kano State had called for the urgent depoliticization of security in the state, urging the deployment of advanced technology, intelligence-led policing, and cross-party cooperation to tackle the rising wave of banditry and kidnappings.
In a press statement released on November 30, 2025, the CSOs described the escalating insecurity as a “humanitarian and security monster” threatening the peace, economy, and social fabric of the historically stable state.
The statement highlighted the proliferation of kidnappings and community incursions, particularly in the southern and western regions of Kano, including areas bordering Kaduna and Katsina.
The CSOs warned that criminal syndicates have shifted operations into Kano, using dense forests such as Falgore as staging grounds, exposing communities in Tudun Wada, Sumaila, Rogo, and Shanono to a “new corridor of terror.”
They emphasized that this rural expansion of terrorism is compounded by porous borders, small arms proliferation, and the emergence of a lucrative kidnap-for-ransom economy, which has disrupted agriculture, displaced residents, and undermined community resilience.
SaharaReporters
Eyewitnesses said the crowd became enraged after learning that the suspects were being held within the police station.
