Headlines
Police arrest 202 suspected kidnappers, armed robbers, others

Nasiru Yusuf
Police in Kano said they have arrested 225 suspects accused of committing various offences between June 1 to July 16.
KANO FOCUS reports that the police spokesperson in Kano Abdullahi Kiyawa announced this in a statement issued on Sunday.
He said those apprehended include 21 armed robbery suspects, 7 kidnapping suspects, 23 drug dealers, 18 suspected fraudsters, 5 motor vehicles thieves, 11 cattle rustlers, and 140 notorious thugs (‘Yan Daba).
Kiyawa said on July 7 one Ado Shuaibu of Malaku village in Doguwa local government had called Yakubu Abdu of Shere village in same local government area demanding two million Naira or risked being kidnapped.

“On receipt of the report, the commissioner of police Kano state police command CP Sama’ila Shu’aibu Dikko, fsi, raised and instructed team of policemen led by CSP Bala Shu’aibu, Divisional Police Officer, Doguwa Division to expatriate action.
“The team immediately swung into action and covert operation was conducted at the pickup point which eventually led to the arrest of one ado Shu’aibu, ‘m’, of 24 years old, of Maraku Village Doguwa LGA, Kano State.
“Suspect was shot on his right leg in his bid to flee, and was rushed to Doguwa General Hospital and treated. Exhibit recovered from him are; wooden carving design pistol, Tecno phone with SIM card he use in threatening the complainant, one machete, and a black polythene leather (to put ransom).
The police spokesperson added that on July 2, a team of policemen while on routine patrol in Falgore forest, Tudun Wada local government area, Kano state, arrested one Abdulrahman Usman, of Kurmi village, Soba local government area, Kaduna state, and five others who attacked a cluster of herdsmen settlement (ruga) in the forest.
“The herders repelled the attack and inflicted machete cuts on the suspect, and mopped up operation lead to his capture with a locally made pistol.
“Suspect was rushed to Doguwa General Hospital for medical treatment. During the course of preliminary investigation the complainant were traced as follows (1) Aliyu Abubakar (2) Shehu Abubakar and (3) Mamman Muhammad, all of Giwa LGA, Kaduna State, who reported that the hoodlums carted away with their three GSM Handsets, Cutlass and Money the sum of Three Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira cash (N350,000.00K).
“Based on the confession of the principal suspect, on the 03/07/2021 a search operation was organized, which led to the arrest of other fleeing syndicate members; (1) Bello Alhaji Hamza alias Tsoho, ‘m’, aged 22 years old, (2) Basiru Gille, ‘m’, aged 30 years old and (3) Isah Alhaji Mallam, ‘m’, aged 22 years old, all of Yammama village, Malumfashi LGA, Katsina State.
“Suspect confessed to the series of Kidnapping and armed robbery,” Kiyawa said.
Arrest of armed robbery suspects
The police spokesperson revealed that the command have arrested one Rabi’u Danjuma alias Rabiu Duty, Suleiman Idris alias Magu, Abel Patrick, Wisdom John and Stephen Sedani who stormed the resident of Sahaisu Abdullahi of Gunduwawa Village Gezawa local government area and robbed him his car, Honda Accord and plasma television.
Other armed robbery suspects arrested according to Kiyawa include Abdullahi Ibrahim of Gidan Kankara quarters Kano who conspired with one Bashir Bashir alias Sahabi and attacked females students of Federal College of Education (FCE) Kano Zainab Mukhtar and Fatima Abdullahi who robbed them three handsets valued at two hundred thousand Naira.
“Team of Policemen, while on intelligence patrol along Rijiyar Lemo area Kano, arrested one Khalifa Muhammad, Ahmed Muhammad and Halifa Ahmed all ‘m’ of Kurna Quarters in possession of Toy Gun (Tokarave), Military Camouflage Uniforms, mobile handsets, Money and other items.
“During the course of investigation, suspects confessed to have robbed one Hajiya Umma Musa ‘f’ of her money and also inflicted injury on her body. Investigation is in progress,” he said.
Rescue of kidnapped victims
Kiyawa added that police have on July 6 rescued Nura Auwalu of Makadi village, Garko local government who was kidnapped at his family house.
The police said they have also rescued one Bahijja Faisal of Sabuwar Unguwa, Rogo local government area who was kidnapped at her matrimonial home.
The kidnappers have also robbed Mrs Faisal’s husband the sum of one million eight hundred thousand Naira.
Arrest of phone snatching syndicate
The police added that they have arrested 37 suspected phone snatchers who attacked innocent motorist, cyclist and other road users with dangerous weapons at Kofar Dan’agundi robbing them of their handsets, money and other valuables items.
“On the 04/06/2021 at about 1900 hours, information was received that unknown hoodlums in possession of cutlasses, knives and other dangerous weapons were attacking innocent motorist, cyclist and other Road users at Kofar Dan’agundi robbing them of their handsets, money and other valuables items.
“On receipt of this information, the Commissioner of Police Kano State Command CP Sama’ila Shu’aibu Dikko, fsi raised and instructed teams of Policemen led by SP Bashir Gwadabe to arrest the hoodlums.
“The team immediately rushed to the scene, swung into action and engages the hoodlums who are in large number, and they started brandishing cutlasses and knives in confrontation with the Police, but through police resilience they retreat abandoned their weapons, jumped into Bakar Lamba water pond at Kofar Dan’agundi where the pond was surrounded.
“Thirty seven (37) suspects were arrested as follows (1) Mohammed Ali ‘m’ 23 years of Dan’agundi Quarters Kano (2) Usman Rabiu ‘m’ aged 20 years of Yakasai Quarters Kano (3) Adamu Ahmed ‘m’ aged 25years of Gaida Quarters Kano (4) Aminu Tijjani ‘m’ aged 25 years of Sharada Quarters Kano (5) Nura Yusuf ‘m’ aged 21 years of Jaen Quarters Kano (6) Abdul’aziz Alhassan ‘m’ aged 18 years of Sabuwar Kofa Quarters (7) Salisu Yakubu ‘m’ aged 53 years of Kofar Nassarawa Quarters Kano (8) Mohammad Suleiman ‘m’ aged 20 years of Galadanchi Quarters (9) Naziru Mohammed ‘m’ aged 22 years of Kofar Nassarawa (10) Sadiq Sale ‘m’ aged 21 years of Unguwar Gini (11) Adam Isah ‘m’ aged 18 years of Kofar Nassarawa (12) Abubakar Salisu ‘m’ aged 18 years of Kofar Nassarawa Quarters Kano (13) Yusuf Nasiru ‘m’ aged 20 years of Dan’Agundi Quarters (14) Nasiru Dahiru ‘m’ 24 years of Kwalli Quarters (15) Zaidu Aminu ‘m’ 26 years of Yar Akwa Quarters Kano, (16) Baffa Ibrahim ‘m’ 17 years of Kankarofi Quarters Kano (17) Tahir Ibrhaim ‘m’ aged 20 years of Kofar Nassarawa Quarters (18) Mustapha Ismail ‘m’ aged 21 years of Dan’agundi Quarters (19) Zakari Ibrahim ‘m’ aged 19 years of Indabawa Quarters Kano (20) Lawal Sani ‘m’ aged 18 years of Sabuwar Gandu Quarters (21) Sani Gwadabe ‘m’ aged 18 years Indabawa Quarters Kano (22) Abdullahi Abdulrasheed ‘m’ aged 20 years of Indabawa Quarters Kano (23) Sadiq Adam ‘m’ aged 19 years of Indabawa Quarters (24) Abubakar Aminu ‘m’ aged 21 years of Indabawa Quarters (25) Usman Dahiru ‘m’ aged 17 years of Indabawa Quarters Kano (26) Idris Zubairu ‘m’ aged 20 years of Indabawa Quarters (27) Abdulrashid Yau ‘m’ aged 21 years of Indabawa Quarters (28) Abubakar Aliyu ‘m’ aged 19 years of Yakasai Quarters (29) Ahmed Mohammed ‘m’ aged 19 years of Indabawa Quarters (30) Abubakar Umar ‘m’ aged 19 years of Kawo Quarters (31) Abubakar Musa ‘m’ aged 22 years of Sabuwar Kofa Quarters Kano (32) Adamu Mohammed ‘m’ aged 20 years of Kwalli Quarters (33) Abdulsalam Mohammed ‘m’ aged 20 years of Indabawa Quarters Kano (34) Mohammad Sani ‘m’ aged 22 years of Alfindiki Quarters Kano (35) Kabiru Auwal ‘m’ aged 21 years of Dan’agundi Quarters Kano (36) Abdullahi Ado ‘m’ aged 20 years of Dan’agundi Quarters Kano (37) Aminu Muktar ‘m’ aged 18 years of Yakasai Quarters Kano.
“And the exhibits recovered in their possessions are; (1) Six(6) cutlasses (2) Seven(7) knives (3) Eleven(11) Parcels of Indian Hemp (4) One hundred and thirty(130) wraps of Indian Hemp, (5) and some quantity of hard drugs (Exol & Diazapharm).
“All suspects were charged to court for prosecution,” Mr Kiyawa said.

Headlines
K-SAFE awards content creator for producing education clip

Aminu Abdullahi Ibrahim
Kano State Accountability Forum on Education in collaboration with BETA Nigeria has awarded Zainab Ibrahim Bukar, a content creator, the sum of ₦100,000 for her outstanding content on the state of education in Kano.

KANO FOCUS reports that Miss Bukar emerged as the winner of the competition by creating engaging content that highlighted allocation of 31% of Kano State’s budget to education.
Another contestant received ₦50,000 for creating compelling short content that shed light on the challenges facing education in Kano.
Abdulsalam Badamasi, Program Lead of Beta Nigeria Coalition, urged other social media users to leverage their phones to create content that promotes primary education in Nigeria.
He made this call during the two-day Capacity Building and breakfast meeting designed for media and social influencers.
The event aimed to equip participants with skills in education-focused reporting and content creation while fostering collaborations to amplify educational priorities.
Dr. Auwal Halilu emphasized the need for a collective approach to tackle the challenges facing education in Nigeria.
He stressed the importance of creating content that influences government policies on education, rather than sharing insignificant content on social media.
Dr. Halilu also highlighted the need for NGOs, media, and government to collaborate in providing credible information about the state of education and potential solutions.
Miss Bukar, the competition winner, attributed her success to her passion for content creation.
She expressed gratitude to the organizers, particularly the Beta Nigeria Coalition.

Headlines
Kano SSG assumes duty, pledges to operate open door policy

Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The newly appointed Secretary to the State Government of Kano State, Alhaji Umar Farouq Ibrahim has assumed office on Monday.
KANO FOCUS reports that his arrival ignited jubilations and enthusiastic reception by entire staff of the Cabinet Office.
A statement sent to KANO FOCUS on Monday by information officer cabinet office, Musa Tanko said some associates as well as other well wishers assembled at the cabinet office to welcome the new SSG.

The statement added that the staff described Ibrahim’s appointment as a homecoming, owing to the fact that he had served in the office in different capacities.
Receiving the SSG on behalf of the Cabinet Office community, the Permanent Secretary, Research, Evaluation and Political Affairs (REPA) Directorate, Alhaji Umar Muhammad Jalo, expressed delight for the appointment and stated that the choice of Alhaji Umar Farouq Ibrahim was a welcome development and highly befitting.
He further stated that, the SSG knows the terrain of the job very well and expressed hope that Kano State is heading towards positive turn around at the state engine room and bringing the divident of democracy to the general public.
In a similar development, members of the Payroll Standing Committee led by their Deputy Chairman, Alhaji AbdulMalik Rogo, paid a solidarity visit to the newly appointed SSG, Alhaji Umar Farouq Ibrahim.
Alhaji AbdulMalik Rogo stated that, immediately after the announcement, both conventional and social media platforms were agog with praises and well wishes were flowing in from different angles. This alone was a clear indication, that the appointment was well deserved.
He added that, this was part of the reason the committee members took the lead to celebrate the SSG. He pray to God to guide him to succeed in the newly assigned task.
Expressing his appreciation for the visit, the SSG stated that he has made a vow to Governor Yusuf, that he will put in his best to serve the state.
He also revealed that “Anybody or groups with meaningful ideas to further develop our dear state is welcome.” he assured that, he would operate an open door policy which has been his guiding principle during his civil service career.
“I am profoundly gratitude to Almighty Allah. As I appreciate His Excellentcy, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf for reposing his confidence in me. To serve the state in this capacity. And I promise not to disappoint him,” he concluded.

Headlines
Breaking: Governor Yusuf Appoints Umar Farouk Ibrahim as Kano New SSG

Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, has appointed Umar Farouk Ibrahim as the new Secretary to the State Government (SSG).
The appointment was announced in a statement issued by the governor’s spokesperson, Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, on Saturday.
Ibrahim’s appointment takes effect from Monday, February 10, 2025.
According to the statement, Ibrahim was selected based on his extensive experience and expertise, which are expected to play a vital role in advancing the administration’s development agenda and keeping the state on track with its goals.

Umar Farouk Ibrahim brings over three decades of distinguished public service to his new role.
His career in the civil service, spanning from 1987 to 2023, has been marked by key leadership positions that significantly contributed to the governance and administrative structure of Kano State.
From March 2001 to May 2015, Ibrahim served as the Permanent Secretary for Research, Evaluation, and Political Affairs in the Office of the Secretary to the State Government.
In this capacity, he was instrumental in analyzing key policy options, advising the government on viable alternatives, and overseeing the implementation of these policies across various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
Following this, from June 2015 to March 2016, Ibrahim held the position of Permanent Secretary for the Administration and General Services Directorate.
His tenure in this role showcased his strong leadership and administrative skills. Notably, he served as acting Secretary to the State Government during annual leaves in 2013 and 2014, underscoring the trust and confidence placed in him by the state leadership.
In addition to his formal roles, Ibrahim served as Secretary for several high-profile committees, including the Coordinating Committee on Independent Power (2012-2015), the Committee on the Identification and Sale of Government Property (GP Houses) in 2012, and the State Payroll Standing Committee (2000-2004).
His early career also saw him play pivotal roles in community and educational reforms, such as his position as Secretary of the Inter-Community/Religious Consultative Forum in 1998 and the Committee on the Review of the Operations of the Agency for Mass Education in 1994.
Mr. Ibrahim obtained a B.Sc. in Political Science from the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University in 1985, followed by several professional certificates that further enriched his qualifications.
As a seasoned administrator and retired Permanent Secretary, Umar Farouk Ibrahim is expected to bring a wealth of knowledge, strategic insight, and a commitment to excellence in his new role as SSG.
His appointment is seen as a strategic move to strengthen the administrative framework of the current government and facilitate the effective execution of its policies and programs.
Governor Yusuf expressed confidence that Ibrahim’s appointment would significantly contribute to realizing his administration’s vision for Kano State, emphasizing the importance of experienced leadership in steering the state toward sustained development and growth.
