The new trend of mobile phone snatching in Kano metropolis has thrown many residents of the commercial city into palpable fear.
Hoodlums have recently gone wild attacking unsuspecting residents at traffic points and within the neighbourhoods.
Sometimes the phone snatchers disguise as tricycle operators and attack unsuspecting commuters disposing them of their phones and other valuables, and leaving them with grievous injuries as well as trauma.
Many residents have been injured, some even killed. In one of such incidents, Atiku Shuaibu Ringim, a physiotherapist with the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH)was murdered last month by the hoodlums along Gwarzo road in Gwale Local Government Area.
Chronicle learnt the attack on the physiotherapist happened around 8 pm on the fateful day as the hoodlums attempted to forcefully snatch away his phone and when he resisted, they stabbed him dead.
Some of the residents who spoke to our reporter said the criminals sometimes pose as pure water sellers at traffic junctions, and once there is a heavy traffic, they move over the vehicles one after the other collecting mobile phones.
The traffic junctions at Kofar Dan’Agundi, Gadan kaya, Katsina road, Yankura along France Road and many spots around Sabon Gari area are among the major flashpoints in the city where the attacks are taking place.
One of the victims, Abba Mahmoud Gwammaja, said, “I was attacked in a broad day light at Kofar Dan’Agundi behind Rumfa College. The time the incident happened, there was a dense traffic jam in the area and the boys within the age range of 15 – 20 posing as pure water sellers appeared from nowhere and started collecting phones.
“All of them were seriously armed with knives and many other dangerous weapons. When they came to my car, one person was by the passenger door, while the other was holding a knife to my neck threatening that he would stab me if I made any attempt to raise an alarm. Even after they had collected the phone, he still had to leave me with a cut on my hand”.
For the police, these emerging trends of phone snatching and motorcycle/tricycle theft in the state are a source of concern and they are doing their best to nip it in the bud.
Last week, the state police command arrested sixty-seven suspects (67) among whom were six alleged to be behind the death of the AKTH medical personnel. Four (4) tricycles, twelve (12) motorcycles and sixty eight (68) mobile handsets were recovered from the suspects.
Parading the suspects, the spokesman of the command, DSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, said the suspects were arrested by the team of Operation Puff Adder at different locations across the state based on actionable intelligence from the public through community policing strategy of the command.
He urged residents to continue to give the command all necessary support and cooperation as it remains resolute to safe-guarding lives and property in the state.
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