Phone snatching

By Suleiman Musa Yahaya Ikara

The jeopardy of thuggery and phone snatching in Kano State has evolved into a crisis, affecting the lives of students, as well as other residents in Kano. Just weeks ago, a student of Bayero University, Kano (BUK), became a victim during a routine trip in Dorayi.

This mounting violence threatens the safety, security, and well-being of residents, particularly in the metropolitan areas of Kano.

The Bayero University community has been thrown into mourning following the gruesome killing of a 300-level student, Umar Abdullahi Hafiz, by suspected phone snatchers. 

The incident occurred late Wednesday at the student’s off-campus residence in the Dorayi area of Kano metropolis.

Despite the crushing fear that spellbinds communities, remaining silent is not the positive alternative; being silent may simply refer to becoming the next victim of these brutal gangs that prey on the innocent souls.

From the streets of Danbare, Kofar Kabuga, Kofar Mata, Zoo Road, Dorayi, Rijiyar Lemo, Kurna and Gwagwarwa, terrifying reports of violence have become a daily routine. 

Street smashes, stabbings, daylight robberies, and innocent lives traumatised by mobs using axes, stones, and knives have turned these areas into unsafe districts. 

The brutality of these mobs, commonly known as practitioners of “fadan daba”, is more shocking.

Media platforms are flooding with illustrative graphics, videos and images portraying these violent incidents. 

Terrified witnesses film young thugs attacking victims who resist having their phones snatched, with many victims bleeding from multiple stab injuries. 

These vehement encounters are no longer isolated incidents but part of an alarming pattern that threatens the peace and stability of Kano.

Confirming the development in a statement on Thursday, the university’s Director of Public Affairs, Lamara Garba, stated that the institution has initiated a manhunt for the perpetrators in collaboration with security agencies.

“BUK Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Sagir Adamu Abbas, condemned the killing and vowed to work closely with law enforcement to ensure those responsible are brought to justice. He further urged students and staff to remain calm, assuring them of the institution’s commitment to their safety and security”.

Phone snatching has become a daily occurrence in Kano, often resulting in the loss of lives and injuries to innocent residents, just as in the case of Umar Abdullahi Hafiz.

This encounter serves as a sobering reminder of the escalating violence erupting anytime, anywhere, and of course ending in catastrophe in Kano.

This terrible act has ignited outrage across Kano. The fact that a well-known and respected educator could fall victim so brutally sends a clear message that no one is safe in the current climate of violence. 

Despite these efforts, the menace persists, the gangs’ deep-rooted networks rapidly replenish lost members, highlighting the inadequacy of enforcement alone. 

Underlying Political and socioeconomic challenges, including high unemployment, widespread drug abuse, and poor educational opportunities, fuel the cycle of crime and violence.

Need for Holistic Action

Security agencies cannot rely solely on arrests to resolve such enduring crises, which require a community-based approach. 

Strengthening community policing, empowering neighbourhood vigilante groups, improving local surveillance, and fostering trust between residents and law enforcement are critical for restoring safety.

By Suleiman Musa Yahaya Ikara

The scourge of thuggery and phone snatching in Kano State has escalated into a grave crisis, endangering students and residents alike.

Just weeks ago, a Bayero University, Kano (BUK) student fell victim during a routine trip to Dorayi.

The incident added to growing insecurity, leaving residents anxious about their safety and wellbeing, particularly in the metropolis.

The BUK community is still mourning the gruesome killing of a 300-level student, Umar Abdullahi Hafiz, by suspected phone snatchers near his off-campus residence in Dorayi.

His death underscores the brutality of the menace.From Danbare to Kofar Kabuga, Kofar Mata, Zoo Road, Sheka, Dorayi, Rijiyar Lemo, Kurna, and Gwagwarwa, violent attacks have become daily occurrences.

Street ambushes, stabbings, daylight robberies, and mobs armed with axes, stones, and knives have turned once-busy neighborhoods into zones of fear.

The perpetrators, commonly called fadan daba, have shaken public confidence in urban safety.

Media platforms are awash with disturbing videos and images capturing these attacks.

A source from Bayero University, kano said “The incident was so devastating and heartbreaking. As a girl from far away who chose to study in Kano, I ended up being robbed. It makes me feel discouraged.”

Confirming the university’s concern, Director of Public Affairs, Lamara Garba, said investigations and a manhunt were underway in collaboration with security agencies.

Similarly, the immediate past Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Sagir Adamu Abbas, condemned the killing and pledged to work closely with law enforcement to ensure justice.Despite these assurances, the violence persists.

Deep-rooted gang networks quickly replace arrested members, exposing the limits of enforcement alone.

Outrage across Kano has grown as the climate of insecurity signals that no one is truly safe.

The Law and the Crime

Legal experts remind citizens of their rights and the penalties awaiting offenders. Barrister Ibrahim Bako explained: “Section 43 of the Nigerian Constitution guarantees citizens the right to own property. Sections 286 and 287 of the Penal Code define theft and prescribe up to 10 years imprisonment for offenders.”

He added that phone snatchers could be charged with multiple offences, including theft, robbery, extortion, and criminal conspiracy

Root Causes: Drugs and Idleness

The NDLEA has linked the rise of thuggery and phone snatching to drug abuse among youths. In 2024, the Kano Command arrested over 1,345 suspects, seized 8.4 million kilograms of illicit substances, and secured 128 convictions.

Initiatives such as Operation Hana Maye continue to dismantle drug joints and rehabilitate addicts, but the challenge persists.

Searching for SolutionsGovernor Abba Kabir Yusuf has pledged decisive action against sponsors of youth gangs, alongside empowerment and job creation programs.

Yet, many argue that this is not enough. Community leaders stress the role of parents, traditional rulers, and residents in guiding young people away from crime.

Zayyana Abdullahi, a community leader stated that “Strengthening community policing, empowering neighborhood vigilantes, improving surveillance, and building trust between residents and law enforcement are critical for restoring safety.”

A Call for Collective ActionThe Kano Police Command, led by SP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, acknowledges the worsening situation and has intensified operations.

Still, durable peace will require more than arrests, it demands holistic action.enforcing the law, tackling drug abuse, empowering youths with skills and jobs, and rebuilding community trust.

The coordinated efforts of government, law enforcement, religious bodies, and civil society must go hand in hand.

Kano’s battle against thuggery and phone snatching is not just a fight against crime,it is a fight for the soul of the city.

By Alhassan Hassan Salihu

The shocking surge of thuggery and phone snatching in Kano State has evolved into a grave crisis. This escalating violence threatens the safety, security, and well-being of residents, particularly in the metropolitan areas.  

Despite the overwhelming fear gripping communities, remaining silent is not an option; silence could very well mean becoming the next victim of these ruthless gangs preying on innocent people.

Kano’s Youth Violence

From the streets of Kurna to Dorayi, and Rijiyar Lemo to Gwagwarwa, chilling reports of violence have become commonplace. Street clashes, stabbings, daylight robberies, and innocent lives traumatised by gangs wielding machetes, stones, and knives have turned these areas into unsafe zones. 

The brutality of these gangs is more devastating. Social media platforms are inundated with graphic videos and images depicting these violent incidents. 

Terrified bystanders film young thugs attacking victims who resist having their phones snatched, with many victims bleeding from multiple stab wounds. 

These violent encounters are no longer isolated incidents but part of an alarming pattern that threatens the peace and stability of Kano.

A Personal Near-Miss in Dorayi

Just days ago, a student narrowly avoided becoming a victim during a routine trip from Zoo Road to Dorayi in a commercial tricycle (Keke Napep). 

Two young men suddenly jumped into the vehicle; one sat beside them, the other beside the rider. Despite explaining that it was a private drop-off, one of the youths became aggressive. 

Thankfully, the presence of a nearby police outpost likely deterred any violent intentions. They dropped off at a university gate without incident.

This encounter serves as a sobering reminder that violence can erupt anytime, anywhere. Such an incident was lucky, not guaranteed. For many others, it ends in tragedy.

Violence Spreads Beyond Kano

The wave of thuggery and phone snatching extends beyond Kano State. In neighbouring Kaduna, the tragic stabbing of a naval officer, Lieutenant Commander M. Buba, shocked the region. 

While changing a flat tyre in the Kawo area, he was attacked and stabbed in the chest after he refused to surrender his phone. Despite intervention by local vigilantes, he was pronounced dead on arrival at Manaal Hospital.

Authorities have since detained at least 13 suspects and initiated covert operations to dismantle gangs terrorising Kaduna’s streets. Yet the spread of this violence signals a regional issue that calls for coordinated responses beyond the borders of individual states.

 Tragic Loss of a Community Leader

Closer to home, Kano mourned the brutal murder of Alaramma Jabir Lawan Abdullahi, a respected Islamic teacher and tech expert. 

On the evening of May 17, 2025, near Gidan Sarki, he was attacked while travelling in a commercial tricycle amidst heavy traffic. When he resisted attempts to snatch his phone, he was stabbed multiple times by suspected thugs and left to die on the roadside.

This horrific act has ignited outrage across Kano. The fact that a well-known and respected educator could fall victim so brutally sends a clear message: no one is safe in the current climate of violence. 

Arrests Made, Yet Violence Continues

According to the Kano State Police Command, over 200 suspected thugs and phone snatchers have been arrested over the last six months. 

In March 2025 alone, the police paraded over 85 suspects from hotspots such as Kofar Ruwa, Dan’agundi, Zango, and Dorayi. Weapons, stolen phones, and illicit drugs were seized.

Despite these efforts, the menace persists, the gangs’ deep-rooted networks rapidly replenish lost members, highlighting the inadequacy of enforcement alone. 

Underlying socio-economic challenges, including high unemployment, widespread drug abuse, and poor educational opportunities, fuel the cycle of crime and violence.

Steps Taken, But More Must Be Done

The Kano State Government has made commendable strides in tackling this crisis. 

Rehabilitation centres in Kiru and Dorayi, alongside the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency’s (NDLEA) facility for addiction treatment, are important tools in combating the link between substance abuse and violent crime.

However, these centres require urgent expansion and increased funding to meet growing demand. With rising numbers of youths affected by drugs and crime, scaling rehabilitation services is essential, and more compulsory.

Need For Holistic Action

Security agencies cannot rely solely on arrests to solve such enduring crises, which require a community-based approach. 

Strengthening community policing, empowering neighbourhood vigilante groups, improving local surveillance, and fostering trust between residents and law enforcement are critical for restoring safety. Equally important is addressing the root causes of youth involvement in crime. 

The government must urgently invest in job creation schemes, vocational training centres, and youth empowerment initiatives such as sports and cultural programmes. 

Idle youth are more vulnerable to gang recruitment and drug addiction. Productive engagement is the key to prevention. Moreover, effective rehabilitation programmes and mental health support for addicted offenders must be prioritised. Without this, many youths will remain trapped in a vicious cycle of crime and incarceration.

Lastly, the justice system must be reformed to ensure quick and fair prosecution. Many arrested criminals return to the streets quickly due to weak legal follow-up, undermining deterrence and public confidence. Stronger, faster legal processes and appropriate sentencing are necessary to break the cycle, as it was previously demonstrated.

Conclusion

The menace of “fadan daba and phone snatching” in Kano has reached a tipping point. No one is immune, from students and traders to community leaders and law enforcement.

By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini

A senior naval officer, Lieutenant Commodore M. Buba, was fatally stabbed by a robber in Kaduna while resisting a phone-snatching attempt near Kawo Bridge.  

Eyewitnesses reported that the officer, undergoing training at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, had stopped to fix a flat tire when the assailant attacked him. After refusing to hand over his phone, the robber stabbed him in the chest.  

A vigilante, Suleiman Dahiru, who intervened, was also injured. The attacker was later lynched by an angry mob.  

The officer was pronounced dead at Manaal Hospital, and his body has been moved to the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital mortuary. Security forces have intensified covert operations in the area to curb crime.  

Kaduna Police PRO, ASP Mansir Hassan, confirmed the incident and assured increased security measures.

By Sulaiman Maijama’a

In recent times, the most vicious of all vices in our society is phone snatching. This dastardly act is perpetrated by gangs of youth of 15 to 25 years who carry weapons and terrorise people. Sometimes, these youth injure their victims or even stab them to death.

This evil act usually is plotted and carried out at night, but sometimes, in broad daylight, the youth disguise themselves as tricycle operators and unleash their cruelty against people. There is hardly a week that would pass on without a report of a victim of phone snatching.

This activity becomes a nightmare for people and poses a great threat to the freedom of movement of innocent citizens, making it difficult for them to go about their everyday business, especially at night, without the fear of being attacked by phone snatchers.

It is common knowledge that phone snatching continues to be pervasive in different states of the North. It assumes a higher degree in states like Kano, Bauchi, Plateau, and Gombe.

The nefarious activity can be directly or indirectly attributed to a lack of proper parental care and broken homes. The youth who lack good parental care or come from broken homes usually move with the wrong people, and their movements are not queried or followed up, thus having the freedom to do anything without being probed.

Peer pressure is another cause of youth involvement in social vices. The youth who spend more time with their friends easily get influenced due to their weak nature and tender age.

Youth have a high level of curiosity to learn, have fun and practice new things, thus making them deviate. And as the saying goes, “Show me your friends, and I will tell you who you are” The significance of friends and how they influence lives is so enormous that many youths were conscripted into phone snatching.

Parents’ negligence also makes the wards turn to their friends for love, emotions, care, and advice, who can lure them into deadly acts. An abandoned child can look up to their friends for love and affection. Some maids, house helpers, and family members who are always around children without parents can introduce these vices to them.

Not only that, but unemployment has also added intensity to immorality that graduates to this monster called phone snatching that threatens the social well-being of the people. 

According to the report by a Global consulting firm KPMG, titled “Global Economic Outlook”, Nigeria’s unemployment rate was projected to rise further to 40.6 per cent this year. This revelation is alarming and must be uppermost in the mind of every responsible citizen. “An idle mind”, as an adage says, “is a devil’s workshop”.

Drug abuse is another social determinant. Despite the pronouncements of the efforts by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency to curb the menace, the percentage of drug abusers is on the rise, and they quickly and freely access the hard drugs of their choice. This allows the youth to be intoxicated before they carry out their devilish act of phone snatching.

It is pertinent that all stakeholders should rise against social vices. Youth that engage in these dangerous acts need help, advice and rehabilitation for the addicted ones.

Parents need to know their children’s friends, status, and other people the children associate with. This is majorly the role parents should play in their children’s lives. Mothers should, in particular, be close to their children. Close monitoring and time should be given to children by parents. Children should be taught the moral values that might help shape their cognitive abilities.

The media ought to be playing their roles of education and information by organising forums to enlighten people about the dangers associated with social vices. Similarly, they should be playing surveillance by warning early on of any potential danger.

Security operatives, government and all stakeholders must be active and alert to caution, rehabilitate or punish (where necessary) any person seen as a threat to others.

All hands must be on deck to combat the menace of phone snatching in our societies.

Maijama’a wrote from the Faculty of Communication, Bayero University, Kano. He can be contacted via sulaimanmaija@gmail.com.

By Aisar Fagge and Uzair Adam Imam

Nothing could have been more worrisome presently in Kano than the menace of phone snatching that has become rampant, leading some analysts to describe the development as a pandemic gradually ravaging the peace in the state.

It was on this light that the Muslim Forum of Nigeria in collaboration with Al-Istiqama University, Kano, and the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN), Kano State Chapter, converged for a meeting to discuss the way forward with a view to end the menace.

The symposium Saturday with the title “Curbing the Menace of Phone Snatching” has in attendance many people from all walks of the state, including security personnel, traditional rulers, analysts, journalists, Islamic clerics and university dons, to menton but a few.

Phone snatching has become a major security challenge in Kano state that continue to strike terror in the mind of the residents as thugs with deadly weapons spare no one during their ‘phone or life’ operation.

A shocking disclosure by the Kano State Police Command has indicated that from January to May over six hundred (600) phone snatchers have been arrested by security agents in Kano State.

Arrested culprits must be dealt with

The Secretary General of the Muslim Forum of Nigeria and the Vice Chancellor of the Al-Istiqama University, Kano, Professor Salisu Shehu, has called on the relevant authorities to ensure that the culprits arrested in the course of phone snatching be punished according to the provision of law.

He stated that, “There are two ways to address this menace: the problem can be tackled through government and our security personnel who will ensure the arrest and punishment of these armed thugs and; through this kind of symposium with the stakeholders to deliberate on the genesis and possible solutions of the syndrome.”

Professor Salisu added that for any nation or community to survive there must be people of knowledge who would think, study and analyse issues for the betterment of that society.

We must put hands together – traditional ruler

Also speaking at the event, Alhaji Ilyasu Mu`azu, the Ward Head of Sharada, said we should all put hands together before we could fight off phone snatching in Kano state.

“It is only through collective effort that we can address this problem,” he stated, adding that “traditional rulers should work hand in hand with security personnel through reporting happening and any suspicious act or individual involving in criminal activities in their area.”

The Kano State Emir, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, who was represented by Dan Amar Kano, Alh. Aliyu Harazumi, has commended the organizers and also called on the district and ward heads to ensure working with the security personnel to help address the issue of phone snatching in the state.

However, the Public Relatios Kano Police Command, DSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiya, said all efforts by the police to address the issue are on top gear as their personnel were never reluctant.

By Salisu Uba Kofar-Wambai

It is no longer a front-page story that phone robbery has become a mammoth calamity in Kano state. And it’s gradually spreading like cancer to other parts of Northern Nigeria. One trait peculiar to Northern Nigeria as a geographical entity is that new trends quickly spread and gain ground like wildfire without being questioned. This is precisely what occurred with kidnapping cases.

 If one has no guiding principle, one will always be carried away in imitating others, whether good or bad actions. Phone robbery is now a trend. Many caught in the act would testify that they were not such but got tempted by what others were doing and getting away with it. What a society!

However, unsuspected members of the public have lost their phones, valuable properties and above all, their dear lives and some got injured as a consequence of this brutal and barbaric act. And 95% of the confessions of the wrongdoers have shown that they’re drug addicts and Indian hemp smokers.

Unfortunately, phone users can no longer display their phones or pick up a call because those robbers are somehow like invisible elements and can appear with their life-threatening weapons to pounce on you, which include thorny knives, hatchet, long sharp metals and have you. Often, any attempt to resist their advancement will land one in trouble of losing his life or getting a severe injury that may eventually threaten his health and life. The victims of this are uncountable in Kano and other parts of the North.

However, our legal system is not helping to curb the menace either. Many caught red-handed are seen getting their freedom back. At the same time, those arrested for capital offences are languishing in prisons without meeting appropriate punishment measures on capital offences. And the politicians who have just finished using these thugs and other undesirable elements of society are also contributing a lot in this direction.

Politicians employed them in their recent campaigns as a strategy for winning elections. After the campaigns and elections, they usually leave them alone after spoiling them with vast amounts of free money from the state treasury to enjoy. Those thugs have nowhere to turn in the absence of such goodies but to terrorise unsuspecting and innocent citizens.

Before this, society had its traditional way of dealing with truants and miscreants. The schools of “Yan Mari” are used to shackle those children and disassociate them from the public so that they were given moral remedy of teaching them Quranic recitation, training them on new religious upbringing, and making them off drugs. Owing to the weakness of this system, the Federal and State governments abolished the system by tagging it “gross human rights abuses and violations” instead of helping them to improve and enhance it.

Nevertheless, what’s on everyone’s lips now is that since the government has failed in checkmating the catastrophes, let’s employ jungle justice that everyone caught in the act should be maimed and killed on the spot to serve as a deterrent to others. But can our society accept this? The sanctities of our moral and religious upbringing won’t allow us to think like Lagos Area Boys of burning suspected thieves with tyres alive. Instead, we need to think of more civilised methods.

First, most perpetrators of this act are Indian hemp smokers and drug addicts. So, what are we doing to mitigate it? We allow Igbo drug traffickers to make our state their paradise. And in turn, they are every day, every minute spoiling our young men (and women) who are our future.

Secondly, we haven’t built rehabilitation centres to change these criminals to develop positive characters and morals so they can be reincorporated into society again. And those built were closed down for the greedy notion that the government could no longer feed them. Sad!

Thanks to the new legal thinking, such suspects will be tried as armed robbers from now on. But all these measures cannot solve the problem in toto until we fight Indian hemp and drug smugglers. We can only end up killing our children and still, others joining. Parents also have to do more for their kids.

May Allah guide our children and us all, amin.

Salisu Kofar-Wambai wrote from Kano and can be contacted via salisunews@gmail.com.

By Dansaleh Aliyu Yahya

The number of phone snatchers is outrageous in Kano because the government is not punishing the perpetrators. Instead, it allows the politicians to use them to win elections and even ask them to do many bad actions, including killing everyone who comes their way in every polling unit in the state. You, too, could all see the thugs that they hired in the recent election—their number is countless. Shame on those that kill their people for their selfishness!

These phone snatchers are those that I can describe as unkind, insensitive, and barbarous robbers that started to turn into vampires—they may eat every flesh of a human when they get patterns. They must be eradicated from the society of living humans to another world of theirs or put in a dungeon of some hungry beats to rot.

Due to their problem, I would like to give some ways to help fight and eradicate them and their scandalous behaviour of snatching people’s property in Kano state and any other place. The ways are here below:

Firstly, It’s time for the government to start neutralising all the obstinate hoodlums that use lethal weapons while snatching people’s phones—they snatch and even kill the victims after. What kind of aggressiveness is this?! Indeed, I stupefy everyone that doesn’t support their killings. But they kill, and they have to be killed! And, slaying them will be soporific to us all.

Secondly, I would like to call upon us all to reflect on and defy the thugs back. However, I don’t mean that you fight them back if you’re alone, but I mean that people shouldn’t always be afraid of those nincompoops—those that run when the action is taking place can stop it (I swear). It’s only that we’re always frightened.

You need to have something you can use to defend yourself. But, I must say, “Shame on those that will see one young man killing a baby in her mother’s back and do nothing to stop him!”

Lastly, I hope the incoming government will ensure that it enforces some laws that will authorise the above forms of penalty to be performed publically for the rest of these hoodlums to see—whoever sees it among them won’t dare to do it again. Indeed, people need a lot from you—not this only!

May you have the ability to do the right things, amin.

By Auwal Umar

The burden of expectation is often hard to shoulder. However, that won’t make the hope of the Kano people fade away on the good wish they bear for Abba to deliver Kano and bring the state out of the mess that engulfed her in the last eight years. Therefore, my constant prayer to Governor-elect Abba is: may the burden of expectation never dampen your indomitable passion, courage and vigour to serve and save Kano.

The menace of phone snatching is unimaginable. The slightest mistake of succumbing to the give-me-your-phone threat can easily land one in the most severe trouble of the loss of whole life. No being in the universe can create the wing of a fly. Imagine the priceless value of the Human soul! Think of how God created man most beautifully among all his creations. Unfortunately, some dim-witted dudes and miscreants, ungrateful and ruthless rascals, reduce human life to 20k or 30k. Sometimes, one’s life in their psyche is not worth 20k. 

Tackling phone-snatching head-on should be one of Abba’s plans. The threat dashes hope to see able-bodied men killing and maiming innocent humans for just some tokens they might forcefully make you depart this world and render the world into a darker place by destroying Allah’s beautiful creation that has no equal or duplicate. The perpetrators mostly go scot-free daily because impunity has already taken over the course of justice in the land. The absence of justice or lack of it can singlehandedly expedite the alarming rate with which new breeds of phone snatchers are hatched daily to get on with the dubious business as usual. 

This is the brain behind the meteoric rise of the devilish act of phone snatching. Placing a Sharp knife on one’s throat in a give-me-your-phone threat is no longer newsworthy as it has been reduced to the new normal in Kano. No one, I mean no one, can accurately estimate the number of people killed or rendered casualties from this unspeakable atrocity.

The joint task force should be initiated and equipped with modern security apparatuses in conjunction with vigilant groups in every nook and cranny of the state, with particular emphasis on the major roads that have almost become the constant targets and hubs of the perpetrators. Moreover, they should always have a system that may guarantee the check and balance process to sanitise the system from being hijacked by the invisible hands of the clandestine gangs of connivers.

The justice system should be sped up and established, or else jungle justice might be the last resort to curb the precarious acts of these people. I fear us all when people decide to have a recourse to bring them to justice through the backdoor without formal judicial proceedings. May the hand of justice be the mouth to speak the language and criminals understand better.

By Muhammad Aminu

The Kano State Police Command has arrested a 24-year old ex-convict for burglary alongside his accomplices in Tudun Murtala Quarter of Nasarawa LGA in the State.

The Police said at least 32 phones had been recovered, mostly Android phones, from the suspect.

According to a statement from the Police Spokesman Abdullahi Kiyawa, the suspect, 24-year old Umar Salisu who had been previously convicted for similar offence, confessed to breaking a shop and stealing the phones.

The statement said: “Sustained efforts coupled with intelligence-led follow-up resulted in the arrest of the principal suspect, Umar Salisu, ‘m’, 24 years old, of Tudun Murtala Quarters Kano.

Two other suspects were arrested for buying thirteen (13) of the stolen mobile phones from the suspect, with an effort for more recoveries.

Kiyawa said “He was arrested two years ago for theft of ten (10) Mobile Phones, charged to court and sentenced to two years in the correctional centre without an option of a fine, where he served for the period and was recently released.

“He begged not to be charged to the same court because the Magistrate warned him.”

According to Kiyawa, the Police has earlier received a complaint of burglary in the area where around 40 mobile phones were stolen.

“On receipt of the complaint, the Commissioner of Police, Kano State Command, CP Sama’ila Shu’aibu Dikko, fsi raised and instructed a team of Detectives led by SP Abubakar Abdulmalik, Divisional Police Officer (DPO) Zango Division to trace and arrest the perpetrator(s).

The team immediately swung into action,” it added. Kiyawa said that the suspects would be charged to the Margistrate Court that once convicted him after discreet investigation. He called on the residents to continue supporting the Police in discharging their responsibilities diligently