Gunmen believed to be bandits carried out a fatal overnight assault on Yankamaye village in the Tsanyawa area of Kano State, killing an elderly woman and kidnapping three residents.
The late-night attack plunged the quiet farming settlement into chaos, as many locals were already asleep when the armed group moved in.
Police spokesperson Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa confirmed the incident, explaining that officers had been dispatched to pursue the criminals. He stressed that authorities were “doing everything possible to rescue the kidnapped victims and restore calm to the area.”
Residents recounted that the gunmen rode into the village on motorcycles but abandoned the bikes on the outskirts, proceeding on foot to avoid attracting attention.
One witness, who asked not to be named, described the elderly woman’s killing as “heartbreaking.” According to him, “She pleaded with them not to take her son.” He added, “They refused to listen to her. They shot her and took the young man away.”
The armed men went on to invade another home, abducting two women, one of them the sister-in-law of the ward councillor.
At the time of filing this report, security personnel were reportedly searching the surrounding forests in hopes of locating the victims and apprehending the attackers.
What You Should Know
The attack highlights a continued rise in rural insecurity across several parts of northern Nigeria.
In response, security agencies have increased patrols around vulnerable communities, intensified intelligence gathering, and begun coordinated forest-tracking operations aimed at dismantling bandit camps and rescuing abducted residents.
These measures form part of broader state and federal efforts to curb banditry and restore safety to affected local government areas.
