Gunmen on motorcycles abducted seven residents in a late-night attack on Zurum Mahauta, in the Gidan Malam Sallau area of Lakwaya village, Gwarzo Local Government Area of Kano State.
The raid occurred around midnight on Sunday, local sources said, when the assailants stormed the community and escaped with their victims before help arrived.
A resident, who asked not to be named, said security operatives were deployed shortly after the incident and pursued the attackers. “They came around midnight and abducted seven people. Soldiers later arrived and chased after them,” the source said.
There was, however, no official confirmation as of press time on whether the attackers were intercepted. The gunmen were said to have fled on motorcycles.
Residents disclosed that hours before the attack, communities along the Katsina–Kano border had raised the alarm over the movement of suspected bandits towards Kano State. According to them, about 20 armed men riding motorcycles were sighted around Danjanku village in Malumfashi Local Government Area of Katsina State, heading towards the Kano axis.
The alert was circulated by a Facebook user, Comrade Yarima BK, who urged residents of Gwarzo and surrounding areas to remain vigilant. “People should be very vigilant. Bandits numbering about 20 on motorcycles were sighted today around Danjanku village in Malumfashi Local Government Area. They are suspected to be heading towards Kano,” he wrote.
He also warned residents of Gwarzo and neighbouring communities, including Shanono, to take precautionary measures.
After the attack, the social media activist lamented that the warning was not taken seriously by the authorities until after the incident. “We alerted the authorities and the public, but the warning was not given the necessary attention until after the attack,” he said.
Residents further alleged that the gunmen crossed into Kano State from neighbouring Katsina before carrying out the abduction and later retreated through the same route.
The incident has once again highlighted security concerns in border communities between Katsina and Kano states, where bandits are said to exploit porous boundaries to launch attacks and kidnappings before fleeing.
Seven abducted as gunmen strike Kano border community
