Kano State declares phone snatching armed robbery

The Kano State Security Council has declared phone snatching as an act of armed robbery and any individual or group caught in the act will be treated as such.

The outgoing Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Malam Muhammad Garba, disclosed this in a statement issued to newsmen in Kano on Sunday.

He said the council, which was presided over by the outgoing governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, during its valedictory session, noted that perpetration of the act in recent times has reached a worrisome proportion and therefore needs drastic measures.

Garba also stated that the council has agreed to put in place a special squad within the security system to deal with the menace and other acts of criminality in the state.

The commissioner added that the council while deliberating on the swearing-in of the new governor said that all necessary measures have been taken to ensure peaceful ceremonies and warned that miscreants who might use the occasion to cause violence in the name of celebrations to refrain from such acts.

“Destruction of properties belonging to the public, individual or the opposition will not be tolerated as adequate measures have been taken to deal with such acts decisively,” the statement added.

He said during the meeting, Ganduje reiterated the need for a smooth transition of power in the state, and called for a peaceful ceremony.

He thanked the security agencies in the state for all the cooperation extended to him throughout his tenure and urged them to maintain the tempo.

The meeting was attended by virtually all the heads of the security agencies and other members of the council.