News
SBMC inaugurates 18-member committee in Kumbotso, gets office to tackle education challenges
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The School-Based Management Committee (SBMC), Kano State, has inaugurated an 18-member committee in Kumbotso Local Government Area to strengthen community participation and address challenges affecting schools in the area.
KANO FOCUS reports that the inauguration took place on Sunday in Kumbotso town during a meeting attended by about 402 participants, including school principals, SBMC members, directors and other education stakeholders.
The Kano State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) Chairman, Yusuf Kabir, was represented at the event by the Deputy Director, Community Engagement, Hajiya Aisha Shuaibu Na’Abba.
Na’Abba delivered the chairman’s message, urging the newly constituted committee members to uphold the trust placed in them and work closely with schools and communities to identify and address challenges affecting education.
She also tasked the committee with supporting efforts to reduce illiteracy in their communities and ensuring that children of school age are enrolled and retained in school.
The Zonal Director of Dawakin Kudu Zone, Hajiya Safiya Sulaiman Abubakar, also spoke on the importance of SBMCs, describing the committees as an essential component of community participation in the education sector.
The Education Secretary in Kumbotso Local Government, Comrade Aminu Abdullahi Kumbotso, thanked participants for attending the meeting and encouraged the new committee to remain committed to their responsibilities.
He also announced the allocation of an office at the local government education headquarters for the SBMC to facilitate its activities and enable members to effectively discharge their responsibilities.
The Chairman of the Kano State SBMC and North-West Coordinator, Alhaji Tijjani Haladu Baraya, expressed satisfaction with the large turnout at the meeting and urged the newly inaugurated committee to carry out its responsibilities with integrity and dedication.
He commended Comrade Aminu Abdullahi for providing an office for the Kumbotso SBMC, describing the gesture as a demonstration of support for community participation in education.
The Head of Mobilisation, Kumbotso LGEA, Malam Nura Abdulmalik, subsequently introduced the 18 newly selected Central SBMC members in Kumbotso local government.
The committee comprises representatives of communities, the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), school heads, parents, community development associations, artisans, security groups, Islamic clerics, traditional institutions, Kano State Quranic and Islamiyya Schools Management Board, State Agency for Mass Education (SAME), the Ministry of Education and persons with special needs.
Speaking after his inauguration, the new Chairman of Central SBMC, Malam Muhammad Nur Adam, urged his colleagues to discharge their responsibilities with trust and dedication.
He said the committee would focus on ensuring that children in Kumbotso receive quality education while protecting their rights and addressing challenges affecting their learning and welfare.
He also expressed appreciation to the local education authorities for providing an office for the committee.
The Chairman of the Kano State Education Secretaries Forum and Education Secretary in Kano Municipal, Comrade Nura Sulaiman, described the development as encouraging, saying Kumbotso was important to his career because it was where he started his work before moving to Kano Municipal.
He commended the state SBMC leadership, particularly Alhaji Tijjani Haladu Baraya, for his commitment to strengthening the committees across the state.
Representing the Chairman of Kumbotso Local Government Area, Hon. Ali Musa Danmaliki, Dr Shehu Ahmad Mariri urged the newly inaugurated Central SBMC to first identify and address problems within their respective schools before escalating issues they could not resolve to the local government education authority.
He assured them that unresolved matters would be forwarded to SUBEB or the appropriate authorities for necessary action.
During an interactive session, the Principal of Zawaciki Junior Secondary School, Malam Yusuf Shitu, called on education authorities to consider returning JSS students to morning school sessions.
He argued that such an arrangement would enable students to attend Islamiyya schools in the afternoon and also give boys opportunities to acquire vocational skills after regular school hours.
The meeting brought together education stakeholders and community representatives to deliberate on ways of improving school management, community participation and educational outcomes in Kumbotso Local Government Area.
Suspect returned to Kano to face investigation, prosecution
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The Kano State Multi-Agency Task Force on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking has arrested a suspected gang leader and sponsor, Ishaq Lawan Ibrahim, popularly known as Malam Keya, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
KANO FOCUS reports that the 27-year-old suspect, from Yelwa in Dala Local Government Area of Kano State, is accused of sponsoring violent gang clashes that have claimed lives and heightened insecurity in parts of the state.
The task force disclosed this in a statement, saying the suspect was arrested following intelligence-led operations after allegedly fleeing Kano as security operations against gang violence intensified.
According to the statement, operatives tracked him to Port Harcourt and arrested him in an operation led by the task force’s Head of Operations, CSP Bashir Gwadabe. He has since been returned to Kano.
The task force alleged that Malam Keya played a leading role in orchestrating and financing hoodlums involved in violent attacks in Dala and other affected communities.
The areas reportedly affected by the gang violence include Jakara, Madigawa, Yalwa, Sanka, Kul Kul, Dogon Nama, Kukar Bulukiya, Dala, Shatsari and Dandalin Turawa.
Confirming the arrest, the task force chairman, Barr Muhuyi Magaji Rimin Gado, said the operation demonstrated the agency’s determination to pursue suspected sponsors of violence beyond Kano State.
“Let me assure you that those who bankroll violence should know that no distance, and no hiding place, will protect them. This arrest is only the beginning. We will not rest until peace is fully restored,” he said.
The task force said the suspect remained in custody for further investigation and would be prosecuted upon the conclusion of the investigation.
It added that its operations would continue in accordance with the law, with all suspects entitled to due process.
The agency also pledged to sustain efforts to dismantle criminal gangs, identify their alleged sponsors and disrupt drug supply networks linked to criminal activities.
It urged residents, community and religious leaders, parents and youths to support security efforts by reporting suspicious persons and activities, monitoring their neighbourhoods and discouraging young people from being recruited into criminal gangs.
The task force described public cooperation as essential to restoring peace and security across the state.
It also acknowledged the support of the Kano and Rivers state police commands and other law enforcement agencies in the operation.
Ibrahim Khalil
The Kano State Small Towns Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (KASSTOWA) has strengthened security at Joda Waterworks to prevent vandalism, theft and unauthorised access to the facility.
KANO FOCUS reports that the agency disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday, following an assessment visit to the waterworks by its interim managing director to evaluate the security situation.
According to the statement, additional security personnel have been deployed to protect the facility and ensure uninterrupted water supply.
The agency said the measure was part of efforts to safeguard critical water infrastructure and protect public assets from potential threats.
It added that the intervention aligned with the commitment of the administration of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to protecting government facilities and ensuring the delivery of essential services, in collaboration with the state’s Ministry of Water Resources.
KASSTOWA also emphasised the importance of inter-agency collaboration in strengthening infrastructure protection.
The agency called on community leaders, traditional institutions, youth organisations and residents to remain vigilant, report suspicious activities and cooperate with security personnel deployed to the facility.
It stressed that protecting water infrastructure was a shared responsibility requiring the cooperation of government agencies and host communities.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The Kano State Police Command has foiled an alleged kidnapping plot in Gezawa Local Government Area and arrested two 20-year-old suspects over threats to abduct a village head.
KANO FOCUS reports that the suspects, identified as Aliyu Naziru Garba and Bashir Alhasan, were arrested following intelligence-led operations by police operatives attached to the Gezawa Divisional Police Headquarters.
The command disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday by its spokesperson, CSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa.
According to the statement, the incident was reported on October 26, 2026, at about 1:30 a.m. by the village head of Bangare, Mallam Idris, who told the police that he had received a threatening phone call from an unidentified person on October 24 at about 9:33 p.m.
The caller allegedly threatened to kidnap him.
Following the report, police operatives launched a follow-up operation, which led to the arrest of the two suspects.
“The suspects have confessed to the commission of the crime,” the statement said, adding that investigations were ongoing and the suspects would be charged to court upon completion.
The Commissioner of Police in Kano State, Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, commended officers of the Gezawa Division for their swift and professional response.
Bakori reiterated the command’s zero-tolerance stance on criminal activities and said the operation aligned with the policing vision of the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, which prioritises intelligence-led and technology-driven policing, professionalism and proactive crime prevention.
The police urged residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious persons or movements to the nearest police station.
The command also provided the following emergency contact numbers for reporting security concerns: 08032419754, 08123821575 and 09029292926.
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