Kano hospital faces increasing danger as phone-snatching, crime rise around hospital area

Recently, a major hospital in Kano, Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital (MMSH), has been dealing with a growing problem of crime near its area. The hospital, which is one of the biggest in the country and the largest state-owned hospital in Kano, is struggling with safety issues, especially around the people who visit and work there.

One person, Ahmed Deedat, shared a post about how every day, there seems to be more and more bad guys hanging around the hospital. These criminals are making life difficult for patients, visitors, and even the hospital staff. They’re targeting people with phones, snatching them right out of their hands, and even threatening people with knives.

Not too long ago, a midwife who works at the hospital was attacked. The attackers hurt her and stole her phone. Unfortunately, she’s not the only one. People who work at the hospital or visit for medical reasons have also had their phones and bags stolen. Some even got hurt, and one nurse had to crawl under a patient’s bed just to stay safe!

Things got even worse last year when a doctor was threatened while trying to help patients. This kind of scary situation is happening more and more, and many people are worried about it. They are asking the police and other security groups to step in and make the area safer.

While the hospital has been trying to make the area safer, the crime is not only inside the hospital – it’s happening outside too. The area around the hospital is becoming unsafe, making it hard for healthcare workers to do their jobs properly. Whether it’s day or night, people are constantly scared they might be attacked.

An investigation by DAILY POST found that crime is definitely on the rise near the hospital, and it is becoming a serious problem. A source from the hospital, who wanted to stay anonymous, told us that most of the phone-snatching happens outside the hospital.

“They hurt one of our staff members, ‘Dogara,’ and stole his phone. They even used a machete to hurt him,” the source said. “Doctors aren’t safe either. A female doctor, Dr. Fatima, was attacked after her night shift when criminals stole her phone.”

The source also mentioned that after it gets dark, people are nervous about having their phones with them. “People’s main worry is getting home safely,” they said.

We tried to reach out to the Kano State Police for a response. However, the spokesperson, SP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, did not answer our calls.

In 2023, phone-snatching led to some people losing their lives in Kano. Because of this, the state government declared a state of emergency to fight phone-snatching in July 2023. They even set up a special group of police, the military, and local volunteers to work together and stop these crimes.

We also tried to contact the Chairman of the Kano State Anti-Phone Snatching Committee, retired General Gambo Ahmed Mai’adua, but he was unavailable for comment. However, a retired security officer, Captain Abdullahi Bakoji, shared some advice on how people can stay safe:

“People should avoid using their phones while walking, especially at night. They should also be careful when getting into cars they don’t trust and stay away from areas where phone-snatching happens a lot.”