The Commissioner of Police in Kano State, CP Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, has declared that thuggery and mobile phone snatching are steadily becoming a thing of the past in the state, following sustained security operations and effective community-based policing.
Bakori made the disclosure on Tuesday during the 2025 end-of-year press briefing held at the Kano State Police Command Headquarters in Bompai.
According to the police boss, the significant security gains recorded in 2025 were the outcome of deliberate planning, intelligence-led policing and strong collaboration between the police and residents of the state.
“Today, the issue of thuggery and mobile phone robbery is becoming history with the successful implementation of Operation Kukan Kura,” Bakori stated.
He explained that upon assuming office on March 17, 2025, as the 47th Commissioner of Police in Kano State, a comprehensive security assessment revealed multiple threats across the state’s 44 local government areas.
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“These included thuggery (Yan Daba), mobile phone robbery and drug abuse in the eight metropolitan LGAs; threats of bandit infiltration in 17 border LGAs; and farmer-herder clashes in 19 other LGAs,” he said.
To tackle the challenges, Bakori said the Command rolled out a clear security roadmap in line with the directives of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun.
The strategies, according to him, included enhanced community policing, intelligence-driven operations, continuous training and retraining of officers, joint border patrols with sister security agencies, expansion of the cybercrime unit and aggressive public sensitisation through radio, television and other media platforms.
Providing a breakdown of achievements, the CP disclosed that between January 1 and December 30, 2025, the Command arrested a total of 3,081 suspects for various offences across the state.
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The suspects included 146 armed robbery suspects, 50 kidnapping suspects, 112 suspected drug dealers, 85 suspected motor vehicle thieves, 45 tricycle thieves, 83 motorcycle thieves, 154 suspected thieves, 56 fraud suspects and 2,350 suspected thugs.
He added that 14 kidnapped victims were successfully rescued during the period under review.
Bakori further revealed that the Command recorded massive recoveries of firearms, dangerous weapons, illicit drugs and stolen property.
“Recovered firearms included nine AK-47 rifles, 13 English pistols, eight revolver pistols, three pump-action rifles, 37 locally made revolver rifles and 26 fabricated guns, alongside 198 rounds of live ammunition and 28 cartridges,” he said.
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Other dangerous weapons recovered included cutlasses, knives, axes, clubs, swords and sharp irons.
The police also recovered 94 motor vehicles, 52 tricycles, 99 motorcycles, 15 cattle, 145 mobile phones, 20 POS machines, 37 ATM cards and 67 SIM cards.
In the area of drug enforcement, Bakori said large quantities of suspected cannabis sativa, tramadol, pregabalin, diazepam, exol tablets, codeine cough syrup, rubber solution, “Akuskura” and other illicit substances were seized.
Looking ahead, the Commissioner of Police assured residents that the Command would not relent in its efforts, pledging to sustain and improve on the current security strategies in 2026 to ensure Kano remains safe and peaceful.