By Editor
Thousands of residents from Kebbi, Zamfara, and Katsina states are fleeing south-east toward Kano, according to community leaders and security sources. The wave of displacement follows a new pattern of attacks by armed bandits who are now targeting high-profile politicians and wealthy individuals, in addition to rural communities.
For years, bandit groups operating across the North-West have focused on villages, highways, and farmlands. In recent weeks, residents say the attackers have changed tactics, raiding the homes of prominent figures and demanding ransoms that only the rich can pay. The fear that no one is safe has pushed even urban dwellers to leave.
Kano is emerging as the main destination for those fleeing. Its relative stability, larger security presence, and established markets make it attractive to displaced families and business owners. However, the sudden influx is stretching the city’s housing and services to their limits.
The surge in new arrivals has triggered a sharp rise in property prices. Estate agents in Kano report that a 2-bedroom and 3-bedroom flats now cost between ₦10 million and ₦15 million. Annual rent for similar properties has climbed to around ₦1 million, a figure far beyond what most civil servants and traders can afford.
5. Security report from the borders
A security operative stationed along the border areas told our reporter that there has been a “heavily arrived” flow of new visitors in the past month. “We are seeing families coming in with little luggage, some on commercial vehicles, others on foot. Many identify themselves as IDPs fleeing attacks,” the operative said.
6. Pressure on IDPs and host communities
The new arrivals are joining existing internally displaced persons who have been in Kano for years. Humanitarian workers say shelters are overcrowded, and access to water, health care, and schooling is becoming more difficult. Host families are also struggling as food prices rise with demand.
7. The common man squeezed out
With rent and land prices rising beyond the reach of average earners, low-income residents say they are being pushed to the outskirts of the city. Traders and civil servants who once lived within Kano metropolis now face longer commutes or the option of sharing single rooms to cut costs.
8. What comes next
Community leaders are calling for urgent government intervention to secure the North-West corridor and to provide housing support for displaced families. Security agencies say operations are ongoing along the borders, but residents argue that lasting peace, not just checkpoints, is needed before people will feel safe enough to return home.
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