By El-Okene Abduljelil.
The Kogi State Governor, Alh Yahaya Bello has been described as committed and poised to reviving the lost glory of the Ebira nation.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Job Creation, SMEs Development, Prince Abdulkareem Onyekehi Suleiman stated this while addressing the Press yesterday at the security townhall meeting of all stakeholders in Okene.
According to Onyekehi, the past years in the central senatorial district of the state have been crimeful, hence projecting the entire state as unsafe for the citizens.
“Kogi State is at the centre of Nigeria and Ebira land is at the centre of Kogi State, that is to say Ebira land is the heart of Nigeria,” he quoted the governor.
He commended the wave of security measures recently put in place by the Governor as yielding positive results, adding that the lost glory of the Ebira nation characterized by safety of lives and properties will soon be restored.
He added that the stakeholders meeting on security was timely in addressing the critical issues of insecurity affecting the people of the state who have been living in fear daily.
“There are strange criminalities in our land over the last few years that must be curbed totally, especially the kidnapping, assassinations, armed robbery and terrorism.
“Gone are the days where some few individuals or groups will be holding our people and land hostage, and subjecting our people to live in fear in their homeland; gone are the days where terrorism in Ebira land was practiced in broad day light, where killings mean nothing to the aliens in our land who have sent innocent souls to their early grave ranging from religious faithfuls and scholars, traditional rulers, community leaders and other good people of our land.
“Gone are the days where armed robbery was the order of the day, and gone are the days where kidnapping was an everyday routine by aliens that infiltrated our land,” he stated.
Thus, he assured the people of the governor’s commitment to returning what he described as the good old days of Ebira nation, advising the youths to eschew all forms of criminalities regardless of the economic situation.
However, Onyekehi hinted that the State Government has intensified the fight against crimes, revealing the compiled list of criminals with illegals arms to perpetrate evil across Kogi Central during the stakeholders meeting.
He said before the raid on this criminals, the governor had said he will not grant amnesty to criminals, rather criminals should grant themselves amnesty.
“Gov Yahaya Bello gave seven (7) days ultimatum to all the stakeholders particularly the District Heads and community leaders of Ebira land to inform any known criminal to grant him or herself amnesty by submitting any form of illegal arms to the government through the immediate community leaders in their respective community and or report the unrepentant criminals in your community to the security agencies if declined. Failure to do that, all the criminals in the list across various districts will be arrested and their houses destroyed, including the houses of their immediate community leaders who failed to heed the executive order.
“Kogi State is fast becoming a safe haven for the good people of Kogi State, investors and tourists under the administration of Bello APC-led administration,” he revealed.
He enjoined the people of Ebira land to support and cooperate with the Government to achieve his set goals in Kogi Central and Kogi State at large, stating that Operation Total Freedom, Operation Know Your Neighbour and Demolition of Criminals’ houses are statewide projects that just started from the governor’s hometown.
The all day event was graced by all the stakeholders in Kogi Central beginning from the Executive Governor of Kogi State, Senator and three members of House of Representatives, the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, all other traditional rulers, Ebira Peoples Association, politicians, elder statesmen, women groups, youths groups, Ebira Youth Congress, Student Unions, Association of Drivers, Association of Okada Riders among others.
