Kano State

By Uzair Adam

Africa Academy, an Islamic online learning platform under Africa Media Network, on Saturday graduated 3,500 students who completed its free Diploma programme in Islamic studies at a ceremony held at Bayero University Kano (BUK).

The graduation marked the academy’s second convocation, established to make Islamic education accessible to Muslims regardless of location, occupation, or level of formal education.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Managing Director of Africa Media Network, Dr Habib Tijjani Tahir, said the academy was created to give people the opportunity to acquire Islamic knowledge despite their busy schedules.

He explained that the initiative was driven by the need to help Muslims understand how to worship Allah correctly, stressing that people were created to worship Him.

According to him, the academy provides free online lessons that enable students to learn at their convenience from anywhere.

Tahir said the curriculum covers various areas of Islamic studies, including Fiqh, Seerah, Tafsir and Hadith, among others.

He said the academy also encourages academic excellence by rewarding outstanding students.

Tahir said top-performing students would receive incentives, including Umrah packages and cash rewards, while other outstanding students would also receive financial rewards.

He further announced that the academy would sponsor the marriages of four students by covering major wedding expenses, including dowry, wedding trousseau, rent and other associated costs.

“We want to encourage our students not only to acquire knowledge but also to remain committed to their studies and strive for excellence,” Tahir said.

He said the academy initially offered short one-week Islamic courses with certificates but later introduced its free Diploma programme, known as “Tsangaya,” following increasing demand from learners.

Tahir noted that 2,200 students graduated in the previous edition, while the number rose to 3,500 this year.

He said the academy was targeting between 50,000 and 60,000 graduates in subsequent years, or even more.

According to him, any Muslim who can read and write and meets the required level can enrol in the programme without presenting a previous academic certificate.

He added that the initiative therefore gives students of Qur’anic and Tsangaya schools, as well as people with conventional academic backgrounds, an opportunity to acquire further Islamic knowledge.

Representing the teachers, Prof Abdulqadir Ismail congratulated the graduates and prayed that Allah would make the knowledge they acquired beneficial to them and society.

He urged the graduates to put their knowledge into practice and use it to benefit others.

“Knowledge becomes more valuable when it is practised and used to benefit other people,” Prof Ismail said.

He also appealed to the graduates to continue praying for the academy as it works towards introducing online degree programmes similar to those offered by universities around the world.

Also speaking, Sheikh Abubakar Abdussalam Baban Gwale said opportunities to acquire Islamic knowledge through platforms such as Africa Academy were not readily available in the past.

He recalled that even people with the financial means sometimes struggled to find accessible opportunities for Islamic education.

“Today, Allah has made it easy for people to acquire this knowledge,” Baban Gwale said, urging parents to encourage their children to participate in such programmes.

He added that even people with conventional academic qualifications could benefit from the opportunity, describing access to Islamic education as a blessing.

Among the graduates, Fatima Usman, 40, emerged as the best-performing student.

A mother of nine, she said she learnt about the academy through a television announcement and continued following its activities until registration opened.

“I was determined to study despite my responsibilities as a mother of nine children,” she said, adding that she remained committed to her studies throughout the programme.

Muhammad Saminu, who came second, attributed his success to consistency and effective use of the academy’s learning materials.

He said he listened to audio lessons while travelling or working and studied the PDF materials more thoroughly whenever he had time to sit down and concentrate.

Amira Nuhu Umar, who emerged third, described her success as a source of immense joy, saying the lessons had significantly influenced her life.

“My joy cannot be described. The lessons have had a great impact on my life,” she said.

She thanked her parents and teachers for their support and dedication throughout her studies.

By Uzair Adam 

The Nigerian Forest Security Service (NFSS), Kano State Command, has deployed personnel to Garko Local Government Area to track and contain dogs suspected of carrying rabies after one dog reportedly attacked and bit 18 people in the area.

The State Commander, Abdullahi Al’ameen, disclosed this in a statement signed by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Usman Abdullahi-Umar, on Sunday in Kano.

Al’ameen said the command received a distress report at about 2 p.m. that a dog suspected to be rabid had attacked residents in Garko town.

According to him, the dog initially attacked and bit 11 people in Garko town before moving into neighbouring communities, where it attacked seven additional residents.

“The dog had so far bitten 11 persons in Garko town before moving to neighbouring communities, including Raba, Kadage, Gurjiya and Dausai,” he said.

The commander added that the command had received another report indicating that two more dogs were suspected to have contracted rabies in the area.

He said personnel from the NFSS Garko Division, led by the Divisional Forest Officer, Auwalu Muhammad, had been deployed to the affected communities to track and contain the suspected rabid dogs.

Al’ameen urged residents of Garko and neighbouring communities to remain vigilant and promptly report sightings of stray or suspected rabid dogs to the nearest NFSS office or other security agencies.

He also advised anyone bitten by a suspected rabid dog to seek immediate medical attention, stressing the importance of prompt treatment.

Al’ameen assured residents that the NFSS would continue to monitor the situation and take necessary measures to prevent further attacks.

By Hadiza Abdulkadir

At least six inmates have died within a week following a suspected cholera outbreak at the 115-year-old Kurmawa Maximum Prison in Kano, with Amnesty International Nigeria calling on the authorities to declare an emergency and take immediate action to prevent further deaths.

The rights organisation said a number of inmates are currently receiving treatment as the suspected disease continues to spread within the prison. It warned that the actual number of deaths could be higher.

Amnesty particularly raised concern over the condition of critically ill inmates and called for their immediate transfer to hospitals for appropriate medical treatment.

The organisation also expressed concern about the large number of awaiting-trial inmates held at the facility, noting that some prisoners can spend years behind bars without being convicted of a crime.

According to Amnesty, overcrowding, poor sanitation, inadequate food and limited access to healthcare remain serious problems in Nigeria’s correctional facilities.

It warned that failure by the authorities to respond urgently to the situation at Kurmawa Prison could result in additional deaths and potentially amount to arbitrary deprivation of life, a serious human rights violation under international law.

Amnesty called for urgent measures to contain the suspected outbreak and improve conditions in Nigerian prisons, stressing the need for the country to ensure that the treatment of inmates complies with human rights obligations and international standards.

By Lamara Garba

For years, the menace of drug abuse has remained one of the most troubling challenges confronting Nigerian society, particularly its young population. What begins with substance use can develop into addiction, broken family relationships, school dropout, unemployment, violence and criminality. In many communities, the consequences are no longer hidden.

The problem has assumed an even more worrying dimension in Kano, where drug abuse has increasingly been linked with street violence, gang activities, thuggery popularly known as DABA, phone snatching and other social vices.

Available national data indicate the enormity of the challenge. The International Centre for Investigative Reporting, citing data from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, reported that about 14.4 per cent of Nigerians aged 15 to 64, representing more than 14.3 million people, use psychoactive substances non medically, while more than three million suffer from severe drug use disorders. The same report, citing National Drug Law Enforcement Agency data, put Kano’s prevalence at about 16 per cent, making it one of the most affected states in the North West.

It is against this disturbing background that the Kano State Government, under Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, moved to establish a multi agency response to the problem.

On 22 July 2026, the Governor inaugurated the Kano State Multi Agency Task Force on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, with Barrister Muhuyi Magaji Rimin Gado as Chairman. The initiative brought together security, law enforcement, health, traditional, religious and civil society stakeholders in a coordinated effort to confront drug abuse, illicit trafficking and their associated criminal activities.

Two months later, the emerging record of the Task Force presents a picture of an intervention that has moved rapidly from policy declaration to field operations.

Addresing the Media to Mark the two Months of operation on Tuesday 22nd September, 2026 the Chairman of the Task Force Alhaji Muhuyi Magaji Rimin Gado aaira more than 380 suspects have been arrested, while over 230 convictions have been secured, according to the Chairman’s latest briefing.

For a state battling a problem as complex as drug abuse, these figures are more than statistics. They offer a glimpse into the scale of criminal activity taking place around drug markets, while also showing the extent of the enforcement response that has been mobilised.

The operations have taken the Task Force into locations identified as drug joints and criminal black spots, including Race Course, Filin Idi, Filin Mahaha, Tashar Rami, Kawo and other areas within the metropolis and beyond.

The approach has been to dislodge the gathering points where drug users, dealers and suspected criminals converge, rather than simply wait for individual offenders to appear elsewhere.

Earlier operations had already shown the breadth of the challenge. In August, the Task Force carried out raids in Rimin Gado and Doka communities, arresting 28 suspects and recovering assorted illicit substances. The Chairman said the operations would extend beyond the metropolis to all 44 local government areas of the state.

By September, the scale of the operations had increased. Another operation involving Gandun Albasa, Kasuwar Rimi, Fagge and railway areas resulted in the arrest of at least 70 suspected drug users and others allegedly involved in related activities. The Task Force also announced a target of removing 10,000 vulnerable youths from the streets for rehabilitation, skills acquisition and reintegration.

Behind these operations is an understanding that the drug problem does not exist in isolation.

It is connected to a wider ecosystem of criminality. The Task Force Chairman says some drug joints serve as meeting points for individuals who later engage in DABA, phone snatching and other forms of street violence. The decision to combine drug enforcement with action against gang related activities therefore represents an attempt to address some of the consequences surrounding substance abuse at the same time.

Several suspected gang members have been arrested and convicted, including individuals identified as Abdullahi Ahmad, popularly known as Horror, Abubakar Sada, known as Daburi, Abdullahi Sani, known as Sarki Ale, and Umar Aliyu.

The message from the Task Force is that drug abuse and associated criminal behaviour will no longer be treated as ordinary street activities.

But perhaps the most disturbing dimension of the campaign is the vulnerability of children.

In one of the cases that has attracted considerable attention, 43 underage children were rescued after investigations indicated that some of them, while engaged in street scavenging, were allegedly supplied with rubber solution and other intoxicating substances instead of receiving appropriate payment for their services.

Two men, Kabiru Isa, popularly known as Mada, and Usman Hamisu, known as Mani, were subsequently convicted. Each received a cumulative nine year prison sentence without an option of fine, according to the Task Force and reports of the court proceedings.

The case is significant because it exposes another face of the drug crisis.

Children who should be protected from intoxicating substances were allegedly being drawn into a cycle of exploitation and substance abuse. For such children, intervention cannot end with the arrest of those responsible.

They need medical attention, counselling, family support, education and protection.

The 43 children rescued have undergone medical checks and are receiving counselling and treatment, while efforts continue to identify their families. Some have already been reunited with their relatives.

This combination of enforcement and protection is becoming a defining feature of the Task Force’s intervention.

The campaign has also exposed concerns around the diversion of controlled medicines from legitimate supply chains.

The Task Force says it seized about 870,000 capsules of Pregabalin from a pharmaceutical company in the state over suspected diversion for illicit use.

The concern is not limited to street dealers. It raises questions about the integrity of the pharmaceutical supply chain and the responsibility of companies, pharmacy managers, superintendent pharmacists and other personnel to ensure that controlled medicines do not find their way into illicit markets.

The Chairman has consequently called on pharmaceutical stakeholders to strengthen their internal controls and cooperate with inspections and investigations.

The scale of controlled medicine seizures in Kano has also been reflected in separate NDLEA operations. In September, the agency reported the seizure of 785,000 Pregabalin capsules weighing more than 669 kilograms in Sabon Gari, Kano, in an operation that resulted in the arrest of a 20 year old suspect.

Such developments demonstrate that the drug problem is not simply a matter of individuals consuming substances on the streets. It also involves supply networks, distribution channels and access to controlled medicines.

The Task Force has therefore adopted a broad enforcement approach that brings together several agencies.

Police, NDLEA, DSS, NSCDC, Correctional Service, Hisbah, KAROTA and other stakeholders are participating in the operations.

The multi agency character is important because no single institution possesses all the powers, intelligence, personnel and facilities required to tackle a problem of this magnitude.

The Kano Government has also provided operational support to strengthen the campaign. In August, five new vehicles were handed over to the Task Force to enhance mobility, field operations and intelligence coordination.

Yet, perhaps the most important shift in the strategy is the recognition that enforcement alone cannot end drug abuse.

A person addicted to drugs may be arrested, prosecuted or convicted, but if the underlying problem remains untreated, another vulnerable young person can take his or her place.

The Task Force has therefore combined enforcement with prevention, rehabilitation and reintegration.

Its sensitisation campaign has taken the anti drug message into communities, schools, markets, religious institutions and other public spaces. The objective is to prevent young people from entering the cycle in the first place.

At the same time, individuals already affected by drug abuse are being referred for rehabilitation.

About 125 people have been referred to the Kano Reformatory Institute in Kiru for treatment and rehabilitation.

The growing demand for rehabilitation has, however, created another challenge. The Kiru facility has reportedly reached capacity as more families voluntarily seek help for relatives affected by drug abuse.

Rather than viewing this only as a problem, the Task Force sees the increasing demand for rehabilitation as an indication that families are becoming more willing to seek assistance.

The Kano State Government has consequently provided an additional facility in Tofa Local Government Area to expand rehabilitation services.

The new facility is expected to provide space for more people requiring treatment and rehabilitation.

But recovery is only one stage of the process. What happens after rehabilitation may determine whether the intervention produces lasting results.

A young person who leaves rehabilitation without employment, skills, family support or a productive means of livelihood can easily become vulnerable to the same environment that contributed to the original problem.

This is why the Task Force is now engaging industrial stakeholders and other partners on employment, skills acquisition and economic reintegration.

The stated target is ambitious: to take 10,000 youths off the streets, rehabilitate them, equip them with useful skills and reintegrate them into society.

The plan represents a shift from seeing drug users only through the lens of enforcement to recognising that some require medical, psychological, social and economic intervention.

Recent reports indicate that the Task Force’s rehabilitation proposal includes medical detoxification, structured rehabilitation, vocational training and support for economic reintegration. The Chairman has identified trades and practical skills as part of the strategy for helping beneficiaries become economically productive.

This approach also places an important responsibility on the wider society.

Government can provide facilities. Security agencies can make arrests. Courts can determine cases. Health professionals can provide treatment. Trainers can provide skills.

But communities must provide acceptance and support for those who successfully complete rehabilitation.

Families must be willing to participate in the recovery process. Employers and businesses must be prepared to provide opportunities. Religious and traditional institutions must continue to educate communities. Civil society organisations must support prevention and reintegration.

The media, too, has an important role to play.

Reporting the number of arrests and seizures may communicate the scale of enforcement, but sustained public education requires deeper storytelling about prevention, treatment, recovery and the consequences of drug abuse.

The first two months of the Kano Task Force therefore tell two stories at once.

The first is the disturbing magnitude of the problem.

More than 380 arrests, over 230 convictions, the dismantling of drug joints, the recovery of illicit substances and weapons, cases involving vulnerable children, alleged diversion of controlled medicines and the disruption of phone snatching and gang networks all point to a challenge that extends well beyond individual drug consumption.

The second story is the emergence of a coordinated response.

The Task Force has brought enforcement agencies and other stakeholders together, moved into identified black spots, pursued prosecutions, rescued vulnerable children, expanded sensitisation, referred affected individuals for rehabilitation and begun planning for skills acquisition and reintegration.

The journey is still at an early stage.

Two months is not enough to declare victory over a problem that has developed over many years. Indeed, the scale of the arrests and seizures suggests that the challenge remains substantial.

What the first two months demonstrate is that the response has moved from concern to organised action.

The real measure of success in the months ahead will not only be the number of arrests or convictions. It will also be whether fewer young people enter the cycle of substance abuse, whether vulnerable children are protected, whether rehabilitation produces sustainable recovery, whether former users find productive livelihoods and whether communities become safer.

For Kano, therefore, the next phase may be even more important than the first.

The foundations of enforcement have been laid. Rehabilitation facilities are being expanded. Prevention activities are reaching communities. A target of 10,000 youths has been set.

The challenge now is to sustain the momentum, strengthen coordination and ensure that every intervention, from the street corner to the courtroom and from the rehabilitation centre to the workplace, contributes to the same objective.

A drug free society cannot be created by arrests alone.

It requires prevention before addiction, intervention when addiction occurs, justice where criminality is established, rehabilitation for those who need it and opportunity for those seeking a second chance.

That is the larger test facing Kano’s anti drug campaign.

Two months into the operation, the Task Force has shown that the state has begun confronting the problem on several fronts.

The months ahead will determine how far that coordinated response can transform the lives of those caught in the drug crisis and restore confidence in communities that have long lived with its consequences.

Lamara Garba, mnipr, is a member of the Multi Agency Task Force on Drugs Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

The Kano State Police Command has imposed a temporary restriction on movement in Dawakin Kudu Local Government Area ahead of the Kano State House of Assembly by-election scheduled for Saturday, September 19, 2026.

The restriction will take effect from 12:00 am on Saturday and remain in force until 5:00 pm, according to the command.

The decision was reached after consultations with the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) and in accordance with a directive from the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu.

The Commissioner of Police in Kano, CP Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, said residents would not be permitted to move around the affected area during the period except those performing essential duties and carrying valid identification.

The command said INEC officials, accredited election observers, medical personnel, firefighters and accredited journalists would be exempted from the restriction.

The police also barred security aides and escorts attached to VIPs, political office holders and government officials from accompanying their principals to polling units and collation centres.

Vigilante groups, quasi-security outfits and voluntary organisations were also prohibited from participating in election security operations or loitering around polling units.

The Commissioner warned residents against taking firearms or other dangerous weapons to polling units and other election-related locations.

“All forms of vote-buying, vote-selling, and political canvassing within the vicinity of polling units are strictly prohibited,” he added.

He further stated, “Only accredited INEC officials, security personnel, election observers and journalists will be allowed access to polling units and collation centres.”

The police called on political parties, candidates and their supporters to comply with the Electoral Act 2022, as amended, and conduct themselves peacefully throughout the electoral process.

According to Bakori, the command has deployed personnel and operational equipment to polling units, Registration Area Centres, collation centres and locations identified as potential flashpoints across Dawakin Kudu.

He said joint patrol teams would enforce the movement restriction and take action against anyone who attempts to disrupt public order.

The police commissioner warned that violators of the movement restriction or other electoral regulations would face arrest and prosecution in accordance with the law.

Bakori also urged parents and guardians to caution their children and wards against allowing politicians or other individuals to use them as thugs before, during or after the election.

Residents were advised to report emergencies and suspicious activities to the Kano State Police Command through 08032419754, 08123821575 or 09029292926.

The commissioner assured residents of Dawakin Kudu and the wider Kano State that the command would take measures to protect lives and property and maintain a secure environment for voters to exercise their civic rights.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

The Kano State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has adopted Muhammad Sani Abacha as its governorship candidate for the 2027 election after Muhammad Bello Dalhatu withdrew from the race.

The decision was reached at an expanded meeting of the party’s State Executive Committee in Kano on Wednesday, September 16.

PDP state chairman, Dr Bello Gambo Bichi, said the process followed the party’s constitution and relevant electoral provisions governing the replacement of a candidate who voluntarily steps down.

“Last time we did a primary election in which Mohammed Bello Dalha was declared winner, but following consultations among stakeholders in Kano and Abuja, the candidate decided to withdraw.

“The law says that as a result of withdrawal, a replacement primary must be held. That is what brought us here today.

“We have affirmed Muhammad Sani Abacha as the gubernatorial candidate of our great party in Kano State,” Bichi explained.”

The party subsequently conducted a replacement primary on September 16, with Dr Abba Abdullahi, chairman of the electoral panel, declaring Abacha the winner.

Abdullahi said the exercise complied with the PDP’s internal guidelines and applicable electoral regulations. He also stated that Abacha fulfilled the conditions required to secure the party’s nomination.

The state chairman also announced that the party had reached an agreement to resolve its factional disagreements through a reconciliation arrangement.

Under the agreement, the deputy governorship ticket was allocated to the Turaki faction. Yusuf Ado Kibiya, a former factional PDP chairman and former Commissioner for Land and Agriculture, was subsequently announced as the party’s deputy governorship candidate.

“After a wide consultation and reconciliation, we agreed to give the deputy governorship slot to the Turaki faction here in Kano. With this, there is no faction in Kano PDP.

“We have reconciled,” he said, adding that representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) witnessed the process,” he said.

Bichi further disclosed that the reconciliation also resulted in changes to some of the party’s National Assembly and state assembly candidates.

He maintained that the developments had brought the different camps together and described the party as “waxing stronger” ahead of the elections.

The resolution of the internal dispute and the emergence of Abacha come after a period of disagreements within the Kano PDP.

Party leaders said the reconciliation was intended to bring members of the different camps together and strengthen the party’s organisation across the state ahead of the 2027 governorship contest.

Bichi expressed confidence in the party’s prospects, saying the resolution of the dispute and Abacha’s emergence had positioned the PDP to win the next general election.

I write this as a concerned citizen of Kano who genuinely wants your administration and our state to succeed.

First, I must acknowledge the progress your administration has made. The visible investment in road construction, rehabilitation and urban infrastructure across Kano deserves recognition. Your government has also intervened in education, healthcare, agriculture, and other sectors. These efforts should be sustained regardless of political differences.

However, Your Excellency, I believe Kano can do even more.

The recently concluded mass wedding involving 1,500 couples, reportedly gulping the state more than ₦1.5 billion, has made me reflect on our priorities. 

I am a Muslim, and I respect marriage and the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW). I therefore do not oppose helping genuinely vulnerable people to marry.

My concern is sustainability and priority.

Marriage does not end at the wedding. After the ceremony come food, rent, healthcare, children’s education and other responsibilities. If someone lacks the economic capacity to establish a household, helping him marry does not necessarily solve the problem that made marriage difficult.

We should not only help people get married; we should help them build families that can stand on their own.

This is why I respectfully urge your administration to place greater emphasis on the following:

Education: Kano’s children are our greatest investment. We need stronger public schools, better teacher development, learning materials, technical education, girls’ education and serious programmes to return out-of-school children to classrooms. Questions have already been raised about the relatively small allocation to some out-of-school-girl programmes compared with the mass-wedding expenditure.

Youth employment and skills: Our young people need sustainable opportunities, not only temporary grants. Vocational training, agriculture, ICT, manufacturing, apprenticeships, and affordable business financing can help young people earn and eventually support their own families.

Healthcare and water: Functional primary healthcare, maternal care, essential medicines, clean water and sanitation must reach ordinary citizens, particularly in rural communities.

Agriculture: Kano has enormous agricultural potential. The government should strengthen irrigation, storage, processing and market access so that farming becomes a profitable industry and a source of employment.

There is also the important issue of monitoring government assistance.

I recently saw a large number of mattresses being distributed under the mass-wedding programme, which raised questions for me about what happens to them after distribution. I cannot confirm whether what I observed involved legitimate transfer, resale or something else, and I do not wish to accuse anyone without evidence.

But it highlights an important question:

What mechanism monitors government assistance after it reaches beneficiaries?

I respectfully suggest post-distribution verification, proper documentation and follow-up assessments. The government should know who received assistance, whether they received the full allocation, and whether the intervention actually improved their lives.

Public money deserves public accountability.

Your Excellency, you have shown that your government can build roads.

Please build people too.

You have shown that government can support marriages.

Please build the economic foundation upon which those marriages can stand.

Let us measure Kano’s progress not only by kilometres of roads constructed, but by how many children are in school, how many young people have sustainable jobs, how many families escape poverty, and how many empowerment beneficiaries remain economically active years later.

I do not want a Kano where people continually wait for government assistance.

I want a prosperous Kano where the government creates the opportunities that allow people to become self-reliant.

That is the Kano many of us want.

Umar Abdullahi Huguma writes from Kano State and can be reached at umarhuguma2023@gmail.com.

By Uzair Adam

The Kano State Coordination Office of the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES), in collaboration with the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Abuja, has concluded a four-day capacity-building programme for stakeholders on conflict prevention, mediation, peacebuilding and peaceful coexistence.

The training, which ended on Friday, brought together representatives of security agencies, government ministries, farmers and pastoralists, traditional and religious institutions, women and other stakeholders involved in the livestock sector.

The Daily Reality reports that the programme was organised to strengthen the capacity of stakeholders and existing conflict committees at state and local government levels to identify early warning signs, prevent conflicts and respond appropriately to emerging disputes.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer of L-PRES in Kano, Sule Saleh, who represented the State Project Coordinator, Dr. Salisu Muhammad Inuwa, said the programme had significantly improved participants’ understanding of conflict prevention and resolution.

Saleh said the participants came from different backgrounds and initially had varying levels of knowledge about conflict mitigation, but had gained practical skills during the four-day engagement.

“To be candid with you, as of today, I believe we are more than learners. We have learned a lot about how to mediate conflict and how to identify what triggers that conflict,” he said.

He explained that the training covered issues including resource control, access to grazing areas and water resources, livestock movement, community-level peacebuilding and the management of conflicts that could arise from development interventions.

According to him, L-PRES had established conflict committees at different levels to ensure that emerging disputes were addressed before they escalated from the community level to local government and state levels.

Saleh cited the construction of solar-powered boreholes and animal drinking points in 36 Ruga communities across Kano State as an example of how conflict-sensitive planning could prevent potential disputes.

He said the project had designed separate water access points for surrounding communities to prevent disagreements between farmers and pastoralists over the use of the facilities.

“The intervention may lead to conflicting interests between farmers and herders. So, to solve that issue, right from design, L-PRES designed a separate tap where the communities can access that particular water,” he explained.

Saleh said the approach was intended to reduce tension and promote peaceful coexistence between livestock farmers and members of the wider communities.

Also speaking, the National Conflict Specialist of L-PRES, Nazifi Ibrahim Wada, said the project was supporting existing conflict committees in Kano State because of their important role in preventing farmer-herder conflicts.

Wada explained that the committees had been working to prevent conflicts and needed continuous capacity building, training and relevant materials to strengthen their day-to-day activities.

He said the training focused on early warning and early response, mediation, dialogue and gender inclusion, among other areas.

“We are building the capacity of the conflict committee members in Kano State, that is, both the state and local conflict committees,” Wada said.

According to him, participants were trained on how to detect potential conflicts before they occurred and how to respond promptly when tensions began to emerge.

Wada expressed confidence in the participants, saying their commitment and interaction with facilitators during the programme demonstrated that they were prepared to apply the knowledge gained.

He said the participants represented a broad range of institutions, including the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Ministry of Livestock, Ministry of Women Affairs, Ministry of Justice, forestry and land resources.

He added that representatives of farmers, pastoralists, traditional rulers and religious leaders also participated in the programme.

In his remarks, Paul Andrew Gwaza of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Abuja, described the four-day engagement as more than a conventional training, saying it provided an opportunity for critical stakeholders to jointly examine the causes of conflict and possible solutions.

Gwaza said the programme included participatory stakeholder mapping, focus group discussions, multi-stakeholder dialogue and sessions on conflict analysis and peace analysis.

He added that participants were also trained on the Do No Harm framework, gender and social inclusion, mediation, negotiation, traditional peacebuilding methods, grievance redress and referral pathways.

Other areas covered, according to him, included conflict-sensitive investment planning and the legal and policy framework relating to peacebuilding and livestock development in Kano State.

“This four-day engagement is not just training. It is engagement with critical stakeholders in Kano State,” Gwaza said.

He said the institute conducted a pre-engagement assessment to determine the participants’ level of knowledge before the programme and would also conduct a post-engagement evaluation to measure the impact of the training.

Gwaza, however, said the participants had already demonstrated noticeable improvements in their skills, competence and enthusiasm throughout the programme.

He urged the participants to become active peace agents by taking peace messages to their communities, markets, town hall meetings and other public spaces.

“The call that we have been echoing to them is that they are now peace agents. When you are a peace agent, you are expected to propagate peace messages,” he said.

Gwaza stressed the need for inclusion in development processes, warning that ignoring the grievances of individuals or groups could create conditions for wider conflict.

He urged stakeholders to promote social cohesion, unity and peaceful coexistence rather than messages capable of deepening divisions within society.

Also speaking, Hadiza Aminu Kabara, Gender Officer at the Kano State Ministry of Women Affairs, Children and Persons with Special Needs, described the programme as informative and impactful.

Kabara said the training focused on conflict prevention and resolution, referral pathways and appropriate actions to be taken when conflicts were identified.

She said participants were sensitised on the importance of identifying and reporting conflicts at their early stages to relevant authorities and institutions before they escalated.

According to her, the programme was particularly important because of the persistent farmer-herder conflicts in Nigeria, which affect both farmers and pastoralists.

Kabara commended L-PRES for providing designated routes for pastoralists to move their livestock without passing through farmlands, saying such initiatives could help reduce clashes and promote peaceful coexistence.

She said the training had increased participants’ knowledge and awareness of conflict prevention, adding that the knowledge acquired would be useful in their respective communities and institutions.

The Daily Reality gathered that the conclusion of the programme is expected to strengthen the capacity of Kano State’s conflict committees and other stakeholders to identify early warning signs, facilitate dialogue, mediate disputes and address grievances before they escalate, thereby contributing to peaceful coexistence and improved livestock productivity across the state.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

Popular Kano-based social media commentator and political analyst, Ibrahim Khalil Dan Shagamu, has reportedly been killed at his residence in Kano State after he allegedly raised an alarm on social media about threats to his safety, with no action reportedly taken before his death.

Dan Shagamu, who operated under the name Dan-shagamu International, was known for his social media videos and commentary on political, religious and community issues.

Reports circulating after his death said the commentator had earlier used social media to raise an alarm over concerns about his safety and called attention to the danger he faced. It was also alleged that his appeal did not receive the intervention he sought before he was killed.

Amnesty International Nigeria confirmed his killing in a statement issued on Wednesday, saying his body was found in a pool of blood at his home.

“Amnesty International strongly condemns the killing of a social media political commentator Ibrahim Khalil Dan Shagamu whose body was found today in a pool of blood at his home in Kano,” the organisation said.

“He was brutally slaughtered after being overpowered by his killers.”

Details of the incident, including the identity and motive of the assailants, remained unclear at the time of reporting.

Unverified accounts on social media claimed that Dan Shagamu was killed in a gruesome manner, with some describing the alleged attack as “yankan rago”, a Hausa expression referring to throat-slitting.

The reported killing has raised fresh concerns about the safety of individuals who speak publicly on sensitive political and social issues, particularly as the country approaches elections.

Amnesty International called on the authorities to investigate the incident and ensure that those responsible face justice.

“The Nigerian authorities must investigate this incident and ensure that those suspected of responsibility are brought to justice,” it said, while tagging the Nigeria Police Force.

The rights organisation also expressed concern over reported political threats and intimidation ahead of the elections.

“As the elections approach, we continue to receive disturbing reports of politically related threats to life and intimidation,” Amnesty said.

Dan Shagamu’s death has triggered widespread grief among his followers and residents, with many taking to social media to express shock over the killing and pray for the repose of his soul.

The circumstances surrounding his earlier warning, including whether any formal complaint was made to security authorities and what response it received, had not been independently established at the time of reporting.

By Uzair Adam

The Hills and Valleys recreation centre in Dawakin Kudu Local Government Area of Kano State has been transformed into a centre for Qur’anic education, Islamic learning and humanitarian activities through the Zam-Zam Islamic Initiative associated with Sheikh Ibrahim Aminu Daurawa.

The Daily Reality reports that the development was contained in a statement issued by the Deputy Head of Training and Discipline of the Kano State Hisbah Command, Malam Ibrahim Sulaiman Fagge, on Thursday, September 3, 2026.

The facility was formally handed over on Thursday in the presence of officials and leaders of the Kano State Hisbah Command, following its donation by a philanthropist to the Zam-Zam Islamic Initiative for the promotion of Qur’anic education, humanitarian activities and other programmes undertaken by the initiative.

The development marks a significant change in the purpose of the facility, which was previously known as a recreation centre but is now being positioned as a place for religious learning and community-oriented activities.

Through the new arrangement, children and young people are expected to have access to an environment dedicated to learning the Qur’an and gaining a deeper understanding of Islamic teachings.

The initiative also provides an avenue for nurturing good character, discipline and moral values among learners.

Beyond Qur’anic education, the facility is expected to support humanitarian activities carried out by the Zam-Zam Islamic Initiative, creating a platform through which charitable and community-based interventions can be undertaken for the benefit of people in need.

The establishment of the centre also reflects the broader objectives of the Zam-Zam initiative, which places emphasis on making beneficial knowledge accessible while promoting moral uprightness and community service.

Meanwhile, the Kano State Hisbah Command has deployed personnel to the facility following the handover, with officials present during the ceremony.

The transformation is expected to give residents of Dawakin Kudu and surrounding communities greater access to Qur’anic learning, Islamic education and humanitarian activities in a dedicated environment.

The new centre thus brings together religious education, moral development and community service, giving the Hills and Valleys facility a renewed purpose under the Zam-Zam Islamic Initiative.