By Musa Bakare.
The Kogi West Senatorial District, once a beacon of peace and economic activity, is currently under siege. What began as sporadic security breaches has now snowballed into a sustained campaign of terror, marked by rampant kidnapping, brutal killings, and murderous assaults by well-armed bandits.
Highways that connect key towns Kabba–Lokoja, Egbe–Isanlu, and the Igbagun–Alu–Isanlu community roads have become treacherous. Travelers are ambushed. Villagers are abducted. Communities live in dread of the next violent invasion. Particularly affected are Isanlu, the headquarters of Yagba East Local Government Area, the entire Bunu district, and vast stretches of rural Okunland.
Farming activities have ground to a halt. Schools are under threat. Businesses are folding up. Once-thriving communities are now ghost towns. The forests and hills, which once held agricultural and ecological value, have turned into enclaves for criminals, equipped with sophisticated weapons and operating with impunity.
In the face of this reality, this is a passionate and desperate appeal to our dear President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to come to the immediate aid of the people of Kogi West. The situation demands urgent federal government intervention to save lives and restore public confidence.
We urgently plead for the deployment of highly trained military and police units to flush out the bandits and rescue our communities. The entire forest belts of Okunland have been compromised by invaders and need to be reclaimed.
Permanent security formations should be established in flashpoints like Kabba, Isanlu, and Oke-Oyi district in Yagba East Local Government Area, near the Ekiti State border. These will ensure faster response times and greater deterrence.
Intensive application of Intelligence and Aerial surveillance,Drones and surveillance technologies must be deployed to track and dismantle criminal hideouts hidden deep in the forests.
Tremendous support for Vigilante Groups, well-structured and supervised local vigilantes must be empowered to work in synergy with official security agencies. Local knowledge is key to dislodging these threats.
Many families have been shattered. Some have lost breadwinners, others have been displaced. A federal intervention and support fund is needed to help victims recover and rebuild their lives.
We commend Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo for his responsive efforts in confronting this crisis,without which it could have been worst . We urge him to further escalate this matter with detailed reports to the Presidency for national level action.
We also call on all elected officials from Kogi West, especially our National Assembly representatives, to rise up and prioritize the lives of their constituents by pressing for emergency attention from the federal government.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declared security and citizen welfare as the core pillars of his Renewed Hope agenda. Kogi West people are in no doubt that he is walking the talks.
Let the roads be safe again. Let our farms flourish again. Let our children return to school in peace. Let our communities breathe again.
Mr. President sir, Kogi West is bleeding. Hear our cry. Urgently Intervene.
– Musa Asiru Bakare writes from Lokoja, Kogi State.
