Phone snatching in Kano

By Adnan Abdullahi Adam

Even before his swearing-in as Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf had issued a public warning that any state government land or property awarded by former Governor Ganduje’s administration to any private individuals would be revoked and demolished and reverted as own state property.  Soon after his swearing-in, the execution of the Governor’s exclusive order started. Heavy-duty bulldozers were deployed near Kano Race Course and Daula Hotel at midnight. Soon, the new buildings developed by Ganduje were raised down into piles of rubble.

 At the speed of light, pictures and video clips filtered on social media platforms carrying the demolishing scene instantly became a trending topic. And the out of the blue, just before dawn, youths rushed to the scene “looting”, carrying away everything valuable that may be sold for reuse or recycling. It is like a free for all; a hundred youths went out scampering and carting away so-called “Booty” from roofing sheets, doors, iron rods, and wood, among other things of valuable importance.

Similarly, the next day multiple shops building outside the parameters of historic Old Eid Ground, along IBB Way, were demolished. Again, hundreds of youths went out pillaging and carting away people’s valuable goods and properties. Likewise, rumours spread about the following line of demolishing.  In anticipation, some youths converged and burst into The Triumph Newspapers Publishing House Building and carted away doors, windows, iron rods, and other expensive building materials.

Before this “looting” by the youths, there were many outcries across the residents of Kano about the rising crimes of phone snatching in Kano. The city is becoming dangerous, primarily by night; it is impossible to walk across busy streets carrying your smartphone freely. This may amount to losing one’s life. Several disturbing stories from media houses reported mobs carrying dangerous weapons and robbing unsuspecting victims of their phones and valuable goods. If he plays a hero or tries to resist, they attack him with knives and pointed steel objects. In many cases, the victim is killed or sustained life-threatening injuries.  

Hardly a week goes by without the PRO of Nigeria Police Force, Abdullahi Musa Haruna Kiyawa, parades apprehended suspects of various crimes from stealing cars or motorcycles, phones robbery, killings, homicide, clashes between thugs, drug peddling and addiction, among others. Recently, the spate of rising crimes perpetrated by some harmful youth elements has changed the tranquil city of Kano, the second biggest commercial city in Nigeria.

Worried and disturbed by the incessant phone-snatching crimes, some Kano residents call for the death sentence to be meted out to the culprits of this capital punishment, including a summary death sentence on the spot; some even justified a jungle justice on phone snatchers.

Firstly, we must constantly remind ourselves that youths are the backbone of society. If they are empowered, guided, educated and equipped with in-demand skills, they will develop their community and make it a good place to live. Likewise, society will fail if society neglects its youth’s potential resources, both male and female. Therefore, youths are like a double-edged sword to serve as an ingredient of potential development or a recipe for impending great disaster.

Secondly, we should not just look for the outward behaviour of youths but also its deep causative agents. There are immediate and remote causes of this ever-increasing crime rate among the youth. We must dig deep to know why things have become how they are. In single shot execution of criminals cannot blot out crimes in society. There is the law of cause and effect. Youth must be redirected, guided, and oriented toward achieving a meaningful and productive life. 

They say, “Satan finds some mischief still for the idle hands”. Something must be found to fill the void of the prime time of the youths. Youths must be made to know how to learn. They must be educated and learn positive thinking, which will birth positive action. It is only when a person knows better that they can do better.

Thirdly, elders and parents must set a good example for the younger ones. Children learn from imitation rather than just verbal admonishing. Children are brilliant. They do not listen to what their parents say but copy from their habits and patterns. If you want your children to tell the truth, start by telling the truth yourself in your words and action. Only after you earn respect from your children, you may likely emulate them. In the same analogy, if a politician tries to get power by hiring youth thugs giving them drugs and arms to attack opponents or buying them phones to bully his political opponent on social media, he inevitably has set a negative pattern.

Fourthly, no society would know peace if drugs could be bought and sold cheaply and easily like pure water. There is a correlation between the availability of drugs and rising crimes. Many heinous were traced to be committed under the potent influence of drugs. And among all Godly creations, thinking and reasoning are the qualities of only human beings; if a man loses his human sense, he becomes a wild beast. So to all fight crimes, first and famous you must fight drugs. 

In addition, media has a profound influence, especially television, smartphones, and computers. The Russian Communist leader, Joseph Stalin, called TV “The “greatest propaganda machine to be invented”. It can retain attention and indoctrinate a person or even an entire community. As we lack reading culture, we consume and learn from TV content more than radio, newspapers, and magazines. Most films and music videos our youths watch nowadays glorify thug life, drugs and sex. It has brainwashed our youths to think of thuggery, drug taking and having extra-marital sex as the best thing to do on earth. So to stamp out social evils and every form of crime, including phone snatching, parents should guide children to watch only educational programs and other non-toxic entertainment programs. 

Lastly, our first line of action, if we want to stamp out the menace of crimes, phone snatching and many social vices in Kano and elsewhere, we must trace the root cause. Capital punishment, jungle justice or summary execution is not enough to break the jinx of the rising crime rate. It is like a saying,” so much to be done, but so little is done”. So also, it would not yield the desired outcome of mitigating crimes among youths. If not, our action will become like a proverbial Hausa saying of killing a snake without cutting its poisonous head. 

Adnan Abdullahi Wrotes From Kano Ungogo via adnanadam37@gmail.com.

By Aisar Fagge and Uzair Adam Imam

Sheikh Aminu Ibrahim Daurawa, a renowned Kano-based Islamic cleric, has challenged people to establish a dispute resolution committee as the “only solution” to the menace of phone robbery rocking our states.

The sheikh stated this in a symposium Saturday organized by The Muslim Forum of Nigeria in collaboration with Al-Istiqama University Sumaila, Kano and the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN) Kano chapter to discuss the way forward to put to an end the menace of phone snatching in Kano state.

The Islamic cleric stated, “We must come together and analyze how and why these thugs are into this kind of business before we can address it. Any ward should establish a dispute resolution committee that would include parents, traditional leaders, Islamic clerics, teachers, security personnel, retired civil servants and lawyers to ensure discipline and exemplary character among the youth in the area.

“The committee will help provide jobs for the unemployed youth, enrol them into schools, empower orphans and widows, and form vigilante committees, among others.

“This committee will also assist the security personnel with an intelligent report on any unknown persons or suspicious act,” Daurawa stated.

The speaker reiterated his stance on parents who give birth to kids they cannot care for or moralize.

Daurawa said although Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) encouraged marriage and giving birth, he would never be proud of a useless crowd of spoiled kids and thugs.

He also called on the government’s intervention through empowerment and provision of skills acquisition centres for the youth.

In the symposium that hosted security personnel, traditional rulers, analysts, journalists, Islamic clerics and university dons, Daurawa empowered two phone snatchers with N100,000.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Youths Society for the Prevention of Infectious Deseases and Social Vices (YOSPIS) has urged the relevant stakeholders in Kano state to declare a state of emergency over a lingering issue of phone-snatching that has been taking the lives of people in Kano on a daily basis.

Zainab Nasir Ahamd, The YOSPIS Executive Director, stated this passionate plea on behalf of the Kano state people in a press conference by the organization on Tuesday.

Phone snatching has become a major security threat in the state. The armed thugs involved in the practice have murdered several innocent people and left hundred others with minor or major injuries.

An increase in the number of the cases recorded has continued to strike terror in the mind of the residents as the intoxicated thugs spare no one during their “phone or soul” operation.

Ahmad lamented that, “Phone snatching has become a major security concern among Kano residents of the state as nobody escapes it, over the past few months, the issue has become increasingly prevalent, causing a serious insecurity situation in the state.

“The problem has reached an alarming stage, with reports of armed thugs mostly on Keke Napep especially attacking innocent individuals and snatching their phones daily.

“The phone snatchers are now alleging turning to armed robbers and vampires using dangerous weapons to attack innocent souls inform of robbing and stealing their phones and other valuable items.

“However, countless people were stabbed to death by the phone snatchers. The situation has recently grown to the level that the snatchers operate in the daytime invading houses in various communities. This is said to be alarming and pathetic to the history of the Kano state.

“The youth of Kano State recognizes the critical roles security plays in ensuring peace and stability within our communities. We acknowledge the importance of youth engagement in security matters and commit ourselves to promote security and peaceful coexistence within communities,” she stated.

According to her, an effective communication and coordination between the police, traffic police, and other security agencies are crucial in combating phone snatching in Kano State.