Nigeria’s army announced on Tuesday that it killed 19 suspected bandits during a confrontation in Shanono, a community in Kano State — a region that rarely experiences the level of bandit-related violence seen in other parts of northern Nigeria.
Army spokesperson Babatunde Zubairu confirmed that two soldiers and one local vigilante were also killed in the operation. According to the statement, troops acted on intelligence and were supported by other security agencies as they raided a hideout believed to be used by armed criminal gangs.
The incident underscores how insecurity linked to banditry, kidnapping networks and armed militias — typically concentrated in states like Zamfara, Kaduna, Katsina and Niger — is increasingly stretching into areas not previously known as hotbeds of violent crime.
Over the past four years, armed gangs operating in northern Nigeria have carried out mass abductions, extortion, village raids and cattle theft, leading to thousands of deaths and widespread displacement. The federal government has launched multiple military operations aimed at dismantling the groups, with mixed results.
Security analysts say the fact that Kano — a major commercial center and one of Nigeria’s most populous states — is now experiencing clashes with heavily armed bandit groups is a worrying indicator that the insecurity may be spreading further across the northwest.
The army said more patrols and coordinated operations are expected in the coming weeks as authorities attempt to prevent the gangs from rebuilding or relocating operational bases.
Source:Africa Publicity
