The Kogi State House of Assembly has called for urgent and decisive government action following the killing of 12 people in Kupa community, Lokoja Local Government Area, during a violent clash involving members of the Kupa Community Vigilante group and a hybrid vigilante group associated with Fulani herders.
The House made the demand during plenary following a Matter of Urgent Public Importance moved by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Aliyu Umar Yusuf, who represents Lokoja II State Constituency.
The Speaker told the House that the violence had plunged Kupa into what he described as a terrifying moment, with several residents sustaining gunshot injuries.
Among those injured, according to the motion, was the Chief Imam of Kupa, Alhaji Gimba Aliyu, who is receiving treatment at a health facility.
The motion attributed the deaths to an escalating confrontation between the Kupa Community Vigilante group and the hybrid vigilante group of Fulani herders operating in the area.
According to the Speaker, the crisis began around the early hours of Thursday, August 6, 2026, after reports of the presence of armed men in Eguchidan, in Kupa South.
He said subsequent investigations indicated that a confrontation had erupted around Abugi, the headquarters of Kupa Kingdom, where the community’s major Thursday market is located.
The motion stated that a member of the hybrid vigilante group sustained gunshot injuries during the confrontation and later died.
It further stated that, according to accounts from the Kupa Community Vigilante group, the deceased had allegedly resisted a stop-and-search operation before an exchange of gunfire occurred.
The Speaker said the incident subsequently triggered the mobilisation of armed men and retaliatory attacks in parts of Kupa.
He listed the reported deaths as three in Eguchidan, six in Emiku and two at Abugi, in addition to the member of the hybrid vigilante group who reportedly died from injuries sustained during the initial confrontation.
The Speaker warned that the development represented a serious threat to peace, security and economic activities in the affected communities.
He recalled that the Kogi State Government established the Kogi State Vigilante Service under the administration of former Governor Yahaya Bello, with legislative backing, to complement conventional security agencies in protecting lives and property.
According to him, recruitment into the vigilante structure was designed to reflect different communities, including the involvement of Fulani herders in the security architecture of Kupa.
He expressed concern that the arrangement had degenerated into unhealthy rivalry, with groups established to fight crime becoming involved in violent confrontations with one another.
“Rather than collaboration in fighting crimes, the groups have assumed borderless powers beyond imaginations which has snowballed into unhealthy rivalry within the Vigilante Service in the area such that the supposed hunters of criminals have now become the hunted,” the Speaker said in the motion.
The House also noted that the latest violence was not the first major security crisis to hit Kupa.
The motion referenced the Ekpan-Abugi invasion of November 2014 and the Gugurugi massacre of January 2015, saying both incidents had left lasting socio-economic consequences on the people.
The Speaker warned that repeated violence, if left unchecked, could produce a more devastating crisis.
He urged the government to introduce strategic measures capable of rebuilding peaceful relations between communities and addressing the security challenges confronting the area.
The House acknowledged the intervention of Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo following the latest outbreak of violence.
According to the motion, the governor, after receiving reports of the crisis, directed the immediate deployment of personnel from various security agencies to the affected communities.
The deployment, the Speaker said, helped bring the situation under control and restored peace and order.
The House consequently resolved to write a letter of appreciation and commendation to Governor Ododo for his prompt intervention.
It also resolved to commend the Commandant, Army Records, Chari Megumeri Barracks, Lokoja, and the Kogi State Commissioner of Police for their swift response to the governor’s directives.
Beyond commendation, the Assembly urged the governor to take further measures to prevent a recurrence.
Among the key demands was the immediate disbandment of existing vigilante structures operating in Kupa and the retrieval of all firearms in their possession.
The House also called for the immediate deployment of recruited Forest Guards to Kupa to strengthen security surveillance across the area.
It urged the government to consider recruiting mature and trusted persons from Kupa who understand the terrain to serve as Forest Guards.
The Assembly further appealed to the Commissioner of Police to deploy additional personnel to the area, alongside the existing directive of the Inspector-General of Police concerning the Abugi Divisional Police Office.
In another major resolution, the House called on the National Security Adviser to urgently disband the hybrid vigilante group of Fulani herders operating in Lokoja Local Government Area.
The lawmakers also observed a minute’s silence in honour of those who lost their lives in the violence.
The Assembly’s resolutions followed growing concerns over the use of firearms by informal security groups and the risk of recurring communal violence in Kupa.
The lawmakers stressed the need for government intervention aimed at restoring confidence, strengthening professional security operations and preventing further loss of lives.
The House’s action places renewed attention on the security structure operating in Kupa and raises questions over the regulation, accountability and deployment of community-based security groups in areas facing persistent security threats.
