Residents of Kogi Central have been living in fear ever since it was reported that Bokoharam presence was right in their neighborhood.
Their fear was heightened when the group started manifesting in many kidnap of residents and attack on a police station that left two police officers and two other civilians dead.
Members of the Ebira Peoples Association (EPA), the umbrella body of all Ebira people at home and in the Diaspora, had expressed serious concerned over the rampant cases of mindless killings, kidnappings, robberies and other violent crimes that have come to define every day life in our state.
However, the recent exploits and harvests of suspected bokoharam/kidnap kingpins by security agencies in Kogi Sate became a soothing balm of some sort as it calmed the nerves of many who believed the security agents were being overwhelmed.
Criminal activities ranging from kidnap of passengers on transit to the killing of policemen at a police station in the central senatorial district of the State have been reported.
Happening in the Governor’s senatorial district just as he was being conferred with an award on his achievements on security by the Inspector general of Police the citizens were apprehensive.
When last Wednesday the army paraded two suspected Bokoharam members and 15 others for various crimes the people heaved a sigh of relief as they expressed confidence in the security to save the situation.
The discovery has raised the concern over the need for people in the north central to beware and raise the ante in security consciousness since it has been established that there is the real presence of the bokoharam.
Barrister Suleiman Abdullahi who commended the security agencies for their resilience in daring the criminals and taking the fight to their hideouts, caution everyone in the State to be conscious especially now that the insurgence have relocated to the State.
The commander Army record Lokoja Brigadier Henry Ayamasaowei had paraded 2 suspected bokoharam members and 15 other kidnap gangs and armed robbery suspects who were arrested in a special operation.
He said the operation recorded a harvest of some of the kidnappers and terrorists that have been terrorising the State in recent weeks
Of particular interest were members of the bokoharam terrorists who had link with the recent attack on a police station in Ehika where two police officers were killed as the suspects were arrested with their sim cards.
One of the kingpin of the suspected kidnap/armed robbery gang Abdulazeez Isah confessed to have participated in two kidnap episode in Okene where they got ransom of N3m and on Adogo road where they got N2m respectively and a robbery outing where they got N100, 000.
He said his share in the first operation was N50000 and N10000 in the second operation.
Isah said they were five in their gang though the other three were at large.
The commander explaining further said they have been able to brake the bokoharam terrorist cell in Okene with amazing recoveries that included improvised explosive devises and other weapons with 71 rounds of life ammunition.
“Nineteen face hoods, and bokoharam shirt with Arabic inscription were among the exhibits recovered.”
Other exhibits recovered and displayed were fertilizer, aluminium powder for IED making, ammunitions with life rounds for 7.62, 71 rounds of life ammunitions, car and motorcycle keys as well as 19 face hoods.
He said in the last three weeks there has been massive resurgence of criminalities across the State essentially kidnapping armed banditry principally by Fulani bandits and a couple of cases of robbery.
According to him, “Within the period it became crystal clear that we have for sure elements of the bokoharam terrorist group. As a matter of fact we have very concrete evidence which has been collaborated by the arrest that we have made and some of the items that indeed show that bokoharam has significant presence in Kogi State.”
“We have been aware for some times that there have been some cells of the terrorist group in the State but I believe because of the defeat of the insurgency in the North East they have been scattered around the country and it appears as if quite a number of them have made their way into Kogi State.”
He said the successful operation is signal for them to know that there is no save haven for them in Kogi State.
“I want to place on record that all the security agencies in Kogi State had been working in harmony, we don’t want to have a security agency claiming credit over the others.
The Operations officer lieutenant Colonel Ayoola Said on the 10th of February after the suspected bokoharam attack in Okene where the Governor visited they were confronted with a Kidnap incidence in which one of the victims was killed on their return.
He said the effrontery prompted the commander to order for the forests in that area to be cleared immediately.
“The two Forests on the Left and right of the Lokoja Okene road should be cleared with immediate effect.”
He said on the 18th and 19th of February the troops conducted aggressive three front clearing operations to comb the rhombus front by road Zariagi-Oshokoshoko-Obajana-Kaba-Okene-Abobo-Itakpe-Osara-Irepeni and back to Obajana junction.
“The troops started the operation at Itakpe pushing towards Obajana while the second group commenced operation from crest area in between Obajana junction and Obajana pushed through Osara dam and the third group commenced from Okebuku along Kabba Obajana road.
He said the three troop continue to push forward causing confusion for the criminals and kidnappers hibernating in these areas.
“The criminals were put in disarray as the troops continued to push forward and some of the criminals who could not escape were arrested at Irekpeni forest with pump action and a Dane gun.”
According to him, another operation was launched in Okene which led to the arrest of some of the bokoharam kingpins,
Abdulazeez Isah from information received from an informant and his House was raided and two AK47 recovered from his house with some explosives and Improvised explosive device making machine, nineteen face masks, t-shirt with bokoharam inscription were recovered from his house. During interrogation he mention one his royal highness Alaji Tijani Abubakar as his sponsor and a raid was conducted on his residence and he fled before the troop could reach his house.
On further interrogation the suspect revealed that more exhibits could be recovered in his grand mother’s house at Urovoni, Adavi Local Government area and the troops moved in and conducted serious aggressive raid on the House where some weapons were recovered from the grandmother’s house, two additional AK47 with tear gas gun and IED making devises.
We recovered a number of phones, we recovered two sims and when they were put in the phones it turned out that the two sims were the sims belonging to two policemen that were killed at Eka.
He explained that the DSS was helping them to do further analysis on the number so that they can begin to screen the names.
The commander indicated that they recovered one application form for recruitment into the Nigerian army as processed by Abdulazeez.
He said his sponsor Baba Muslim I of Ebira land was the one that recruited him into the bokoharam sect in 2015.
According to the Ayola,
“Following a tip off, on the 18th of this month, the DSS operation team that work in conjunction with the military conducted a special operation at Abobo. The operation was conducted in the night in the forest behind Itakpe and three suspects were arrested, one of the suspects gave us a lead and it brought a harvest of three other kidnappers.
“One of the kidnappers is absent because he got a gun shot when he attempted to escape. Two other kidnappers involved in the kidnapping of two Sky Bank officials in December last year and a reverend Mother in Kogi east were also arrested.
He said, “One of the Bokoharam told us that the terrorists come to the market on market days to get stuff for their logistic requirements and incidentally the Friday was a market day.
“He told us the time to be 3pm so he said he can finger them if we go to the market so we went with the DSS in plain cloths true to his claim he was able to point out those three and we were able to pick them.” A Suspected kidnapper and criminal that was involved in the rescue of one of the Bokoharam terrorists that attacked DSS office was also among the suspects paraded.
The other groups are suspected armed robbers that were arrested one time or the other in Okene.
Governor Yahaya Bello in his response said criminals can only run but cannot hide in Kogi State.
“We are after them and we have started getting them we will not condone any act of criminality whether politically motivated or self decided.
“We will never relent in our effort to get them wherever they are hiding. Parents should call their wards to order, if you born a child ensure you train that child in a civilized way, this State has suffered so much and we are ready to arrest and prosecute anybody found to be indulging in criminal activities in the State.”
He however appealed to the people of the State to volunteer useful information to enable the security agents perform their functions.
“We have law against terrorism and kidnapping and we must enforce it. The houses where those criminals were arrested would be demolished.”
It would be recalled that minister of information and culture, Lai Mohammed, had raised alarm over the existence of a cell of a Boko Haram affiliate – Muslim Brotherhood in Kogi state.
He said they were acquiring bomb-making chemicals and high-calibre weapons to perpetrate “acts of terror”, including attacks on banks, arms depots and prisons in the country.
Meanwhile in a related issue, the Ebira Peoples Association (EPA) has called on government to change its strategy in the on-going battle against mindless killings, kidnappings, robberies and other violent crimes in Kogi state.
Addressing the press on Tuesday, President-General of EPA) Dr. Musa Abdulrahman Adeiza outlined some of the urgent measures that are required to check insecurity in the state especially in Kogi Central Senatorial District.
He said “All police, soldiers and state security officers as well as para military Agent’s currently serving in Kogi Central should be redeployed immediately and be replaced with new ones. As a matter of fact, no security agent should spend more than six months in the area to avoid being thoroughly compromised as it is the case now.
He also suggested that “Governments should as a matter of urgency explore and support the possibility of integrating “Civilian JTF ” into the security system of the land to complement conventional security agencies.”
Outlining other measures, he said, “Both Federal & State Governments should make concerted efforts to reinforce and review security measures in terms of material, personnel and modus operandi in order to safeguard life and properties in Kogi Central.
“Security should be intelligence driven by interfacing with community leaders, Ward Heads, local vigilante groups, Hunters, farmers and other informants.
“There should be a coordinated operation to be professionally code named to smoke out criminal elements from their hideouts in homes, bushes, caves, hills, etc.
“Security surveillance should be on 24- hour duty across the land, instead of the present situation whereby most hotspots are left unmanned most hours of the day.
“Operational strategy to security matters should be proactive in approach rather than reactive methods to unravel already perpetrated damages.
He spoke on the alarming rate of insecurity and criminality in Kogi State, especially in Kogi Central Senatorial Zone.
Credits: John Akubo | confluenceupdate.com
