"We have just evacuated five dead bodies and two seriously injured people from the scene of the attack," a police rescuer told AFP, adding that witnesses had counted nine attackers on three motorcycles.
Residents in the densely populated Dakata district of Kano confirmed the attack but could not provide details on the identity of the gunmen or their motives.
Kano police spokesman Magaji Majia confirmed the incident but did not give a casualty figure.
"There was a shooting incident in Dakata area where some gunmen on motorcycles fired into a crowd of people playing draughts. We are still gathering details. We are yet to ascertain the number of casualties," he said.
Earlier Tuesday, the authorities in Kano, the largest city in northern Nigeria, banned moto-taxis in a bid to stem the tide of violent crime perpetrated by attackers riding mopeds.
The suspension followed a weekend gun attack on the convoy of the emir of Kano, Ado Bayero, an influential Nigerian Muslim figure, by men riding on mopeds in which five people were killed.
Kano Deputy Governor Abdulahhi Umar Ganduje said in a statement that following a security report after the attack, the government resolved "to suspend the carrying of people on motorcycles as from Thursday (January 24)."
"This is to ensure that every motorcyclist is registered with the relevant authorities for the security and safety of all," he said in the statement.
The operation of moto-taxis has been banned in several areas in Nigeria, notably in the cities of Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Warri.
The use of mopeds to commit violent crimes is often cited by officials as the key reason for the ban.
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