Joseph Bakare
In a deliberate act to strengthen the security architecture of the State, the Kogi State Government has revealed that the newly approved Forward Operating Base, Abejukolo and the Patrol Base in Bagana both in Omala Local Government Area, have received heavy deployment of troops.
This was disclosed in Lokoja, Friday, by the State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Hon. Kingsley Fanwo, who said the deployment would give a “vista of hope” to the people of Kogi East in particular and Kogi State as a whole, assuring the people that the days of criminals in the state are numbered.
Fanwo said the high level of insecurity in Omala and the neighbouring Local Government Areas in Kogi East informed the decision of the State Government to request for the establishment of the formations to combat crime and make criminality a thing of the past in the area.
“As a responsible and responsive Governor, the Chief Servant of Kogi State has taken the right decision to restore security and normalcy to the Eastern part of Kogi State where many lives were lost to insecurity.
“On his visit to Omala during the crisis, Governor Usman Ododo promised to take the right steps to arrest the trend of insecurity in the area. This is a promise fulfilled as joint troops of the Army, Navy, Police, NSCDC and the DSS have been deployed.
“The Kogi State Government wishes to express our profound gratitude to the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR; the National Security Adviser as well as the Security Chiefs for their commitment to ensuring security in Kogi State.
“Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo is committed to his pledge to spare no resources in ensuring the security and safety of the Kogi people,” he said.
The Commissioner urged the people of the area to cooperate with security agents in order to “erase the signature of insecurity in the area”.
“We call on our people in Omala and the entire Kogi East to cooperate with the troops in order for them to ensure that insecurity doesn’t raise its ugly head in the area again”.
It would be recalled that Omala and some neighbouring Local Government Areas in the state were embroiled in insecurity over the past one year, leading to loss of lives and property in the areas.