KANO — The Kano State Police Command says it recorded a significant reduction in major crimes across the state in August 2026, crediting intelligence-led operations, sustained community engagement, and round-the-clock patrols for the improvement.

Commissioner of Police Ibrahim Adamu Bakori disclosed the figures at a press briefing on Monday at the Police Headquarters in Bompai, Kano, where he outlined the command’s operations for the month alongside plans to secure the state ahead of the 2027 General Elections.

According to CP Bakori, the command arrested a total of 244 suspects for major crimes between August 1 and 31. The breakdown includes 8 suspected kidnappers, 28 suspected armed robbers, 7 suspected motor vehicle thieves, 19 suspected drug dealers, 117 suspected thugs, and 65 others held for various offenses.

Officers also recovered three pistols and 65 rounds of live ammunition tied to gun-running activity, along with six motor vehicles, four tricycles and seven motorcycles traced to criminal syndicates.

The commissioner said 117 suspected thugs were arrested during coordinated operations across flashpoints in Kano Metropolis in August, with weapons and illicit drugs recovered from them. He said the operations have restored calm to previously volatile neighborhoods including Dala, Kofar Nassarawa, Sheka, Dorayi, Rimin Kebbe and Hotoro.

However, Bakori said the command is intensifying operations in Bachirawa, Gobirawa and Tudun Fulani to clear out remaining pockets of thuggery, and appealed to residents there to share credible information with police.

Among the month’s major cases, police intercepted a Volkswagen Golf 3 at Tudun Yola, Bajallabe Quarters on August 25, arresting the driver, identified as Saminu Samaila, 37, of Safana Town, Katsina State. Investigators say he was transporting roughly 13,837 sachets of Tramadol from Abuja along with 895 more sachets and suspected “Ice” intoxicants concealed in the vehicle.

A follow-up search at Rimin Auzinawa Quarters turned up five additional cartons of suspected Tramadol and three cartons of suspected Diazepam, along with other drugs. A female suspect was arrested for concealment, and police say they are pursuing others who fled.

In total, the command says it recovered 17,684 sachets and 614 wraps of illicit drugs during August, including over 17,000 sachets of Tramadol, dozens of sachets of Diazepam and Pregabalin, 210 Exol tablets, and 614 wraps of Indian hemp.

Police also detailed a firearms recovery operation that began August 13, when a tip from a member of the public led officers at Dorayi Babba Division to intercept a parcel at Rijiyar Zaki Motor Park containing a Tokarev pistol and 48 rounds of ammunition. Follow-up investigations by the command’s Anti-Kidnapping Squad led to the recovery of two more pistols — one from Kebbi State and another from a 66-year-old suspect in Bichi Local Government Area — along with the arrest of two further suspects.

Citing security developments in neighboring states, CP Bakori said the command has stepped up surveillance along Kano’s border communities to prevent infiltration by bandits. He said the effort has led to arrests of suspected kidnappers, bandits and gun runners, alongside seizures of prohibited firearms, and pledged that Kano would not become “a safe haven for criminals fleeing from other states.”

Separately, police arrested a suspect, identified as Muhammad Dahiru, 46, accused of generating fake bank alerts to defraud a company of over ₦13.1 million and seven electric motorcycles worth ₦10 million. He is described by police as a “notorious fraudster,” and the search continues for other members of his alleged syndicate.

Other August arrests included vehicle and tricycle theft syndicates — one accused of using a fake-injury scheme to steal tricycles — as well as cases of shop breaking, armed robbery, livestock theft and unlawful possession of military camouflage.

With campaigning underway ahead of the 2027 General Elections, the command said it has begun coordinating with stakeholders to keep the process peaceful. On August 27, it convened a meeting with political party leaders, candidates, INEC, the Inter-Party Advisory Council, the Council of Ulama, civil society groups and security agencies, urging all sides to avoid hate speech and violence.

CP Bakori said the command has set up an Election Security Situation Room and a Complaint Response Desk, and will deploy personnel to protect INEC facilities and campaign venues. He warned that anyone who disrupts public peace during the electoral process “will be dealt with decisively in accordance with the law.”

The commissioner thanked Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf for his support to the police, and credited residents for cooperating with officers and providing tips that led to arrests. He also commended police personnel for their work through the month and urged the public to continue reporting suspicious activity through the command’s emergency lines.