Gov Abba Kabir Yusuf receives commendation from State Security Service Directors after their Zonal Conference in Kano.
The Department of State Services Department of State Services has raised fresh concerns over worsening insecurity in Nigeria’s North-West, warning that banditry, cybercrime, illegal mining, arms trafficking, and sabotage of critical infrastructure are posing serious threats to peace and stability in the region.
The warning was issued at the 20th North-West Zonal Directors’ Conference held in Kano, where senior intelligence officials and security stakeholders reviewed emerging security challenges.
Kano State DSS Director, Abubakar Hussaini, said criminal networks are becoming more sophisticated, operating across physical and digital spaces, and called for stronger intelligence sharing and inter-agency coordination. He stressed that tackling arms trafficking, cyber-related crimes, and attacks on national assets requires urgent and unified action.
He added that the DSS remains committed to providing actionable intelligence and supporting operational responses to security threats nationwide.
Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf also addressed the conference, pledging continued support for security agencies in the state. He described the forum as a key platform for strengthening collaboration and developing coordinated strategies against insecurity.
Governor Yusuf noted that Kano’s strategic and population size makes it vulnerable to spillover effects from insecurity in neighbouring states. He cited recent rescue operations, including the abduction and recovery of a local government official, as evidence of improved intelligence-led policing.
He also acknowledged ongoing threats in the state, including banditry, farmer-herder clashes, cybercrime, and activities of criminal gangs, despite what he described as relative calm in some areas.
The governor commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for supporting security operations and praised the leadership of the DSS Director-General for strengthening inter-agency cooperation.
The conference brought together DSS directors from across the North-West, including Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Jigawa, Kebbi, Sokoto, and Zamfara, along with other security agency heads, as part of efforts to strengthen regional responses to rising insecurity.
