Banditry attacks have continued to escalate in Shanono communities, Shanono Local Government Area of Kano State, as bandits reportedly kidnapped five nursing mothers on Sunday.

The fresh attack occurred barely a week after the troops of the 3 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Kano, successfully repelled a deadly invasion in which 19 members of the criminal gang were neutralised.

It was reported that one of the women narrowly escaped the bandits’ deadly net. However, available sources revealed that the bandits had thrown away the babies of the kidnapped nursing mothers before taking them away to an undisclosed destination.

Narrating the recent attack, a community leader in Faruruwa village, Shanono, Alhaji Yahya Bagobiri, told journalists on Monday that the latest incursion left five women missing and a large number of livestock carted away.

Bagobiri expressed concern over the persistent attacks by bandits in the Fulani-dominated areas despite the heavy deployment of armed military personnel and other security agencies, describing the situation as getting out of hand.

He lamented that the bandits, riding on motorcycles, stormed Yan Kwada village in the Faruruwa community on Sunday night, dispossessing villagers of their belongings and leaving them in palpable fear.

The community leader said the ugly development has forced residents to flee for safety, leaving the village deserted. He further noted that, despite the presence of the military and other security agencies in the area for the past three weeks, the communities continue to experience daily attacks and loss of livestock.

“We continue to witness these attacks almost daily, despite the presence of the military and other security operatives. Even during yesterday’s attack, we heard they were coming and alerted the security personnel, but nothing was done until they arrived around 9 p.m., raided houses, and abducted the nursing mothers,” Bagobiri said.

He added that one of the kidnapped women managed to escape and return to her family, leaving four nursing mothers still in captivity.

The Chairman of the Community Security Forum of Faruruwa has strongly appealed to President Bola Tinubu, the National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, and other top security officials to come to their rescue before it is too late.

“We appreciate the government’s immediate response in deploying the military to our area, and we are grateful for that gesture. However, we urge the authorities to strengthen the forces and provide more armed personnel in the affected communities,” he pleaded.

Efforts to reach the military spokesperson, Captain Babatunde Zubairu, for comments on the incident were unsuccessful.