This development may add to the crisis that has rocked Northern Nigeria where kidnappings and killings by bandits and terrorists have remained rife.
A report seen by AFP has revealed that criminal gangs fleeing police offensive are now making moves into Kano State, northwest Nigeria.
This development may add to the crisis that has rocked Northern Nigeria where kidnappings and killings by bandits and terrorists have remained rife.
Quoting an intelligence report sent from the Zamfara state governor's office to Kano, the police authorities warned that bandits who are escaping from Zamfara are fast turning Kano ‘to their safe haven’.
The leaked report also noted that informants working for the bandits have been moving to Kano and reportedly buying houses to use as an "escape route" for themselves as well as bandit leaders and their families.
It did not specify how many bandits had moved to the city but identified six neighbourhoods where they were buying houses and settling with their families.
The report urged police to look into estate agents and profile house buyers from Zamfara and Sokoto to identify the bandits.
"It is true we received this intel from Zamfara. We already know of bandits and terrorists' infiltration in parts of Kano and we have been working to deal with the threat," a security source in Kano told AFP.
"We have been working quietly to avoid creating panic in the city," said the source.
The report was signed by Bashir Makama, an assistant superintendent of police attached to the State Intelligence Department (SID) in Zamfara state governor's office, and shared among other security agencies in Kano.
The development was blamed on "the ongoing military onslaught against armed bandits and their collaborators in states such as Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara".
This action by the military has led to the killing of major kingpins including Halilu Sububu, considered the main bandit leader in northwestern Nigeria.
Authorities in the state are said to be very worried by this development.
"We have not been resting on our oars since 2009 when Boko Haram terrorists thronged Kano from Maiduguri.
"This intel from Zamfara is only a reminder for us not to be complacent," a second security source told AFP.
Despite repeated assurances from the government, Nigeria continues to struggle with escalating insecurity, marked by rampant kidnappings and killings, sparking widespread concern among citizens.