The Northern Youth Assembly (NYA) has strongly criticised a recent publication by Daily Trust titled “Kano New Bandits Frontier”, describing it as misleading, distortive, and lacking empirical evidence. The article, authored by Clement A. Oloyede and published on December 2, 2025, was said to have created unnecessary panic rather than providing factual enlightenment on security issues.

In a statement signed by NYA President, Dr. Aliyu Mohammed, and Secretary General, Dr. Hafiz Garba, the group argued that portraying Kano as a “new bandits frontier” was false and amounted to a deliberate attempt to smear the image of a state that has historically resisted insecurity. The Assembly insisted that the report ignored verifiable facts and failed to present balanced perspectives.

According to Dr. Mohammed, the criminal elements troubling border communities in Kano were seeded and emboldened under the previous administration. He alleged that the past government failed to address youth unemployment, which pushed thousands into drugs, thuggery, and criminality, while also allowing gangs to flourish due to lack of political will.

The statement further accused the former administration of withdrawing police personnel from known flashpoints and redeploying them to guard the Nassarawa royal graveyard, which was allegedly converted into a refuge camp by a deposed Emir. Dr. Garba noted that this left vulnerable communities exposed and neglected border intelligence operations, thereby enabling bandits to move freely between Katsina and Kano.

Highlighting current efforts, the NYA commended Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf for adopting stronger and more coordinated approaches to security. Dr. Mohammed explained that the administration’s Safe Corridor Project had absorbed over 5,000 repentant youths in its first phase, fully profiled them in partnership with security agencies, and engaged them in community security and intelligence gathering. He stressed that this marked the first time in Kano’s recent history that insecurity was being tackled through both non-kinetic and enforcement measures.

The Assembly also pointed to Governor Yusuf’s unwavering support for security agencies. Dr. Garba stated that the governor had consistently provided operational support, strengthened collaboration with the Army’s Brigade Command, funded logistics and surveillance units, and rehabilitated abandoned security infrastructure. He argued that these actions contradicted claims that the government was weak on security.

The NYA accused certain political actors of sabotaging peace efforts by exploiting the emirate crisis for political mileage and influencing selective withdrawal of security personnel. Dr. Mohammed said no serious security analysis could ignore these realities, yet the Daily Trust article deliberately omitted them.

The group further noted that even within the article, the author admitted Katsina’s controversial “peace deal” with bandits had created safe havens for criminals, turning border villages into transit routes. Dr. Garba emphasised that bandits operate from Katsina, not Kano, and that the state government had responded to attacks in Tsanyawa, Shanono, and Ghari by deploying joint military and intelligence structures, providing humanitarian support, and reinforcing surveillance across border local governments.

The NYA urged the public to disregard the Daily Trust publication, describing it as politically coloured and intellectually dishonest. “Constructive criticism is welcome, but falsehood, political sensationalism, and deliberate misrepresentation are reprehensible and condemnable,” Dr. Mohammed stated. He reaffirmed the Assembly’s support for the Kano State Government’s efforts to keep the state peaceful, secure, and stable.