A dog suspected to be infected with rabies has bitten 18 people in Garko Local Government Area of Kano State, prompting the deployment of personnel from the Nigerian Forest Security Service (NFSS) to track and contain the animal.


The NFSS Kano State Commander, Abdullahi Al’ameen, disclosed this in a statement signed by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Usman Abdullahi-Umar, in Kano.


According to the statement, the command received a distress report at about 2 p.m. after the dog attacked residents in Garko town.


The suspected rabid dog reportedly bit 11 people in Garko town before moving into neighbouring communities, including Raba, Kadage, Gurjiya and Dausai, where it attacked and bit another seven people.


The NFSS also received information indicating that two other dogs were suspected to have been infected with rabies in the affected area.


Following the reports, personnel from the NFSS Garko Division, led by the Divisional Forest Officer, Auwalu Muhammad, were deployed to the communities to track and contain the suspected infected dogs.


The commander urged residents of Garko and neighbouring communities to remain vigilant and report sightings of stray or suspected rabid dogs to the nearest NFSS office or other security agencies.


He also advised anyone bitten by a suspected rabid dog to seek immediate medical attention.


The development comes as health authorities continue to raise concerns over rabies in Nigeria. The Federal Ministry of Livestock Development recently said more than 100 rabies cases had been recorded nationwide between January and August 2026.