The Northern Youth Assembly (NYA) has described it as misleading, distortive and lacks of empirical evidence, an article published by One Newspaper NOT GLOBAL TRACKER on 2nd December 2025 titled “Kano New Bandits Frontier” authored by one Clement A. Oloyede.
Aliyu Mohammed and Hafiz Garba, the president and secretary general respectively of NYA disclosed this in a statement sent to GLOBAL TRACKER in Kano on Wednesday.
The statement reads “The attention of the Northern Youth Assembly (NYA) has been drawn to a rather sensational and grossly misleading publication titled “Kano New Bandits Frontier” at ONE NEWSPAPER NOT GLOBAL TRACKER of 2nd Dec. 2025 and authored by one Clement A. Oloyede. While public discourse on security is welcome, the article in question departs from facts, distorts historical antecedents and realities, and unarguably seeks to create panic rather than educate or enlighten the public.
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Describing Kano as a “new bandits frontier” is not only false. It is a deliberate attempt to smear the image of a state that has historically demonstrated resistance, rejection, and resilience against insecurity.
A proper analysis would show that Kano is not a frontier, but rather a state dealing with the spillover of banditry bred and entrenched under the previous administration in neighbouring states and within Kano itself.
The author ignored verifiable facts and failed to present a balanced context and perspective.
For the avoidance of doubt, the criminal elements currently troubling border communities were seeded, bred, and emboldened under the previous administration.
Across multiple local governments, the last administration, allowed criminal gangs to flourish through evident lack of political will, failure to address youth unemployment, which pushed thousands into drugs, thuggery, and other forms of criminal activities and criminality.
Withdrawal of police personnel from known flashpoints in connivance with unpatriotic individuals and redeployed them somewhere leaves many communities in Tsanyawa and Shanono vulnerable and exposed. Neglected border intelligence operations, thus allowing bandits to move freely between Katsina and the fringes of Kano State.
These factual historical precedents were conveniently ignored in the publication.
Contrary to the false impression created, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has demonstrated stronger, more coordinated, and more humane approaches than his predecessor ever attempted. These include:
A. SAFE CORRIDOR PROJECT
The current administration has introduced a groundbreaking programme the SAFE CORRIDOR PROJECT, which has: Absorbed over 5,000 repentant youths in the first phase, fully profiled them in partnership with security agencies, and willing to engage them in community security, intelligence gathering, and neighbourhood watch structures. This is the first time in Kano’s recent history that a government is addressing insecurity through both non- kinetic and enforcement, unlike previous administrations that relied solely on force and political alliances.
B. UNWAVERING SUPPORT TO SECURITY AGENCIES
Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has consistently, provided timely and immediate needed operational support to all security formations, Strengthened collaboration with the Army’s Brigade Command, funded logistics, surveillance, and rapid-response units and repaired and equipped abandoned security infrastructure. This is not the behaviour of a government “weak on security,” as falsely portrayed.
The publication conveniently omits the active sabotage being carried out by certain political actors who, work with enemies of peace to undermine the state government, exploit the emirate crisis for political mileage, influence selective and politically-motivated withdrawal of security personnel and undermine the authority of the elected government in favour of federal opposition interests. No serious security analysis can ignore these realities.
But the author did so deliberately,
even within the article, the author inadvertently confessed that: Katsina’s controversial “peace deal” with bandits created a safe haven for criminals, turning border villages into transit routes. Bandits operate from Katsina, not Kano. Some communities in neighbouring states have cooperated with criminals.
Despite this clarity, the writer twisted the narrative to blame Kano’s government on an intellectually dishonest approach that raises questions about motive. When attacks occurred in Tsanyawa, Shanono and Ghari, the state government: deployed joint military and local intelligence structures, provided immediate humanitarian support to affected families, strengthened surveillance tools across border LGAs, reinforced collaboration with traditional rulers and vigilante units, directed emergency relocation of security formations to vulnerable axes.
These are verifiable actions on record. The publication in question ignores them and instead pushes a politically-coloured narrative.
Constructive criticism is welcome. Falsehood, political sensationalism, and deliberate misrepresentation are reprehensible and condemnable. Security issues require accuracy, responsibility, patriotism, and commitment to peace.
We therefore urge the public to disregard the misleading publication and continue to support the state government’s efforts at keeping Kano peaceful, secure, and stable.