The Northern Youth Assembly (NYA) has strongly criticised a recent publication titled “Kano New Bandits Frontier”, describing it as sensational, misleading, and lacking empirical evidence.
In a statement signed by NYA President Aliyu Mohammed and Secretary General Hafiz Garba, the group faulted the article authored by Clement A. Oloyede and published on December 2, 2025, saying it misrepresented the security realities in Kano State. According to the NYA, the report appeared designed to create unnecessary panic and smear the image of a state that has historically demonstrated resilience and resistance to insecurity.
The assembly said the security challenges affecting border areas are rooted in historical failures under previous administrations, including the neglect of border intelligence, withdrawal of police personnel from vulnerable communities, and failure to address youth unemployment—factors they argued created fertile ground for criminal activities.
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The NYA also alleged that police officers were redeployed away from known flashpoints to guard the Nassarawa royal graveyard, which was converted into an illegal refuge by a deposed emir, leaving several communities exposed to criminal infiltration.
The group commended Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf for adopting what it described as more coordinated and humane security strategies, particularly the SAFE CORRIDOR PROJECT, which has profiled and engaged over 5,000 repentant youths in community security and intelligence activities. It also highlighted the governor’s continued support to security agencies through logistics funding, surveillance tools, rapid-response structures, and the rehabilitation of abandoned security facilities.
The statement further accused certain political actors of sabotaging the government’s efforts by exploiting the emirate crisis and influencing selective withdrawal of security personnel for political gains. These realities, it said, were ignored in the publication.
The NYA urged members of the public to disregard what it described as a politically-coloured narrative and encouraged citizens to continue supporting the state government’s initiatives aimed at safeguarding peace and stability across Kano State.