The recent recovery of arms and ammunition by security agencies in Kogi State is encouraging. It sends a signal. A signal of alertness, effort, and resolve. It reflects improved intelligence gathering and the courage of officers who continue to operate under dangerous conditions. In a country where insecurity often overwhelms headlines, such progress deserves recognition.
But recognition is not the same as relief.
Arms recovery is important. It is necessary. Yet it is not a declaration of safety. It is not Uhuru.
Across Kogi State, fear still travels faster than reassurance. Rural communities remain exposed. Highways remain tense. Criminal movements through forest routes continue, quietly but persistently. The reality on the ground suggests that while weapons have been seized, the networks behind them remain largely intact.
Recovered arms tell a deeper story. They reveal how heavily armed criminal groups have become. They show the scale of the threat communities face daily. But they also raise uncomfortable questions. How many weapons are still out there? How quickly can these groups replace what was seized? What systems are in place to block new inflows of arms into the state?
Until these questions have strong answers, any celebration must be measured.
This moment calls for a shift in thinking.
Security cannot remain mostly reactive. Response after damage is no longer enough. Prevention must take the lead. Intelligence must arrive before violence, not after. Early warning structures, real time surveillance, community level intelligence, and rapid response capacity are no longer optional tools. They are necessities. A delayed response can turn a manageable threat into a tragedy.
Security also does not exist in isolation.
Weak rural policing, limited state presence, and growing youth unemployment continue to open doors for criminal recruitment. Where the state is absent, alternative authorities emerge. Where opportunities are scarce, crime becomes attractive. Without addressing these conditions, arms recovery risks becoming a repeated cycle rather than a permanent solution.
Credit must be given to security agencies. Their sacrifices are real. Their gains matter. But sustainable peace demands more than operations alone. It requires coordination, modern tools, community trust, and firm political will. The private sector and licensed security practitioners also have a role. Through innovation, professionalism, and responsible collaboration, they can strengthen the wider security architecture.
In the end, the recovery of arms in Kogi State is a step forward. A good step.
But it is not Uhuru.
Uhuru will come when prevention overtakes reaction. When response is swift and decisive. When citizens travel roads without anxiety. When rural communities sleep without fear.
Until then, vigilance must remain high. Thinking must evolve. Security must be reimagined.
– Seyi Babaeko
MD CEO, Absolute Security and Advance Protocol Ltd.
