Kogi Declares State of Emergency on Insecurity, Vows to Tackle All Forms of Criminality

Ibrahim Oyewale in Lokoja

Kogi State Government has vowed to get rid of  all forms insurgency, banditry, kidnapping and other criminal elements from state, stressing that development and insecurity cannot co-exist.

The State Governor Usman Ododo disclosed this while speaking at the opening ceremony of the three days training programme on promoting development and infrastructure growth in alignment with the 32 year development plan in Lokoia yesterday.

The governor who was represented by the Commissioner for Finance, Budget and Economic Planning , Ashiru Idris,  explained that the present administration has employed 1,050 hunters across the state—50 in each of the 21 LGAs—and equipped them with security gadgets and protective gear, including ballistic vests and boots.

“We established a Forward Operation Base (FOB) in Omala where peace has now been restored and criminality stamped out.

“We handed over 125 brand new vehicles and 300 motorcycles to security agencies and vigilantes. We established the Metropolitan Quick Response Unit in Lokoja, Okene and Anyigba.

“We pay allowances to our sons in Operation Hadarin Daji without delay. Recently, we formalised the absorption of all vigilante operatives into the civil service—professionalising local intelligence and ensuring accountability in community policing.

“The result? The once-dreaded Lokoja–Abuja and Lokoja–Okene highways are significantly safer today. We have also resolved that we will not wait for criminals to attack us—we will take the fight to their camps and ensure insecurity is decisively nipped in the bud,” he stressed.

On good governance, Ododo pointed out that every contract above five million naira is published online.

“Biometric verification has eliminated over two thousand ghost workers, freeing up billions now being invested in building the Kogi of tomorrow.

“And yes, Kogi workers now receive their salary alerts on or before the 25th of every month. These are not campaign slogans. These are verifiable milestones recorded in under two years. But why is this training so important?

“The 32-Year Development Plan is not a document meant to gather dust; it is the compass that guides this administration daily.

“Promoting development in Kogi State and aligning infrastructure growth with this plan is critical for strategic, economic and social progress. Long-term development plans ensure continuity, stability and direction for our actions, enabling sustainable and impactful growth,” Ododo posited.