Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State on Wednesday led an enforcement team to Okene in the Central Senatorial District of the state to demolish buildings used by suspected kidnappers and armed robbers in perpetrating crimes.
The demolition exercise was sequel to the recent arrests of 17 suspected kidnappers and armed robbers by the Army, during which the houses were identified to be harbouring criminals and incriminating materials.
The governor who was accompanied by the state commissioner of police, Mr Wilson Inalegwu and heads of other security agencies in the state, have so far pulled down two structures at the time of filing this report while more are still expected to go.
The building of a suspected kidnap kingpin, Alhaji Tijanni Bakare was the first to be pulled down at Oyunkoko Ward in Okene LGA of the state.
Also pulled down was the notorious Ahlul-Sunnah Mosque in Inike, Okene LGA which was reportedly taken over in 2015 by members of the Boko Haram terrorist group and has been serving as an operational base for their activities.
Governor Bello at the demolition exercise vowed to implement the Anti-kidnapping, Robbery and Terrorism Law in the state to the letter.
He warned people of the state to stop harbouring criminals, saying that government will continue to pull down such houses when discovered.
On his part, the Kogi State Police Commissioner, Mr Wilson Inalegwu, said it would no longer be business as usual for criminal elements.
Credits: Daniel Itodo Sule | Daily Trust
