Following the recent outbreak of crisis among the Ebira Mozum and Bassa Komu ethnic groups in the Bassa Local Government Area, Kogi state government has ordered the deployment of Nigerian Navy with three gunboats to restore peace, both on land and sea in the area.
Officers of Nigerian Army, the DSS, Nigerian Police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and local vigilantes were deployed to quell the crisis.
The state Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, in a statement issued on Friday by his Chief Press Secretary, Onogwu Muhammed, expressed concern over the incident, assuring that the government was on top of the matter.
The statement noted that following the gruesome killing of a palm wine tapper and another farmer on Monday, the government acted swiftly and ensured the deployment of security agencies.
The Governor directed security agencies to hold ground with enough deployment at major communities and ensure no further life is lost while providing adequate intelligence gathering to unravel those behind it, assuring that perpetrators will not go unpunished.
Governor Bello called for calm among the Ebira Mozum and Bassa Komu ethnic groups.
He assured the people of Bassa that the government had received intelligence information on the situation and vowed that those masterminding the unfortunate ethnic crisis in the area will surely face the full wrath of the law.
Bello said the government has gone far in identifying the culprits, promising adequate sanctions will be taken against the perpetrators.
The statement disclosed that some leaders on both sides have been invited to provide the Government with what they know about the crisis warning that crisis in Bassa Local Government Area must come to an end.
The Governor expressed his condolences to the family of 9 persons that have lost their lives in the crisis, praying for God to grant them the fortitude to bear the loss of their loved ones.
