How I survived stabbing by phone snatcher — 20-year-old victim recounts ordeal

Twenty-year-old Rabiu Suleiman Ibrahim, a resident of Dorayi Unguwar Bello in the Gwale Local Government Area of Kano State, had no premonition of the danger that lay ahead on the night of Nov. 26, 2025.

Around 10:00 p.m., while running an errand for his mother in the Yamadawa area, his life changed in an instant.

Seated on the back of a motorcycle driven by his friend, Ibrahim saw a man climbing down the perimeter fence of Bayero University Kano (BUK).

The individual pretended to be crossing the road, forcing Ibrahim’s friend to slow down to avoid a collision.

However, the man turned out to be a phone snatcher who suddenly stabbed Ibrahim in the back, inflicting a life-threatening wound.

In severe pain, Ibrahim urged his friend to speed away to avoid a second strike. After riding for a few minutes, he realized the severity of the injury as he was losing blood rapidly.

They headed to the Police SWAT base in Dorayi to secure an escort to the hospital, as medical facilities often insist on a police presence before treating victims of violence.

“Initially, we went to a chemist, but the person we met told us the injury was beyond his capacity and that we should go to a hospital. We quickly went to the police, but they asked me to write a statement. I was in deep pain and losing blood fast—how could I write a statement? It took the intervention of people nearby before the police finally accompanied me to the emergency unit of Murtala Muhammed Specialist Hospital,” Ibrahim recalled.

The ordeal did not end there. “Though the incident happened shortly after 10:00 p.m., we were told there was no doctor available at the hospital emergency unit. My brother suggested we quickly go to a private hospital in Gadon Kaya, but again, there was no doctor. Finally, we moved to another private hospital in the Tal’udu quarters, where they managed to stitch the deep cut in my back to stop the excessive bleeding around 11:00 p.m.”

Ibrahim managed to escape with his mobile phone still in his pocket. However, his assailant was neither pursued nor arrested, despite the incident being reported to the local police.

Ibrahim, who spent weeks recuperating, appealed to the state authorities to prioritize security and combat the hoodlums perpetrating mayhem in the state.

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