Kano Government Evacutes 200 Mentally-ill Persons From Streets

The Kano State Government has evacuated over 200 persons living with mental health disorders from streets and neighbourhoods across the metropolis as part of a special operation aimed at providing medical care and addressing security concerns.

The State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) said the individuals were removed from public spaces, isolated to receive treatment and appropriate care, and would later be reunited with their families or returned to their places of origin if found not to be indigenes of the state.

Speaking to journalists, the Executive Secretary of SEMA, Abdullahi Isyaku Kubarachi, said: “This operation is part of our regular activities, and it is being carried out at night in collaboration with security agencies to ensure safety and effectiveness,” he said.

Kubarachi explained that the operation started in four local government areas within the Kano metropolis on the directive of the state government and would be extended to other parts of the state.

According to him, the initiative was meant to uphold the dignity of persons with mental health conditions. “The aim is to give them humane and compassionate care as human beings and to help reintegrate them properly into their families and the larger society,” he said.

SEMA, therefore, called on members of the public to report cases of people with mental health challenges, especially where their behaviour could pose a threat to public safety.