On Thursday, the Kogi State Government clarified that the excavation of certain roads in Kogi Central is a deliberate security measure aimed at restricting the access of criminals who have been breaching the peace of the area and causing loss of lives and property.
According to a statement signed by the State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, the Government convened an emergency Security Council Meeting in response to recent security challenges in the area, including the explosion at the Okehi Local Government Secretariat Complex and the Okene blast during President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit on December 29, 2022.
The Government stated that one of the measures taken was to restrict the number of routes to flashpoints in order to enable security agencies to mount effective surveillance on other access roads for the safety of the people, particularly during the upcoming polls on Saturday, February 25, 2023. Fanwo thanked the State Ministry of Works and Urban Development for their proactive efforts in relation to the roads.
Fanwo also addressed the outburst of a Senatorial Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, stating that the Government would never compromise security on the slab of politics and would ruthlessly deal with criminal elements and their sponsors whose hearts are not immersed in the culture of peace of the Ebira Nation.
The State Government warned those sponsoring terrorism in the state to desist, as security agents have enough evidence to arrest masterminds. The Commissioner disclosed that some of the masterminds of the Okene blast of December 29, 2022, had been arrested and were giving useful statements to security agents.
The Government assured Kogites that adequate security arrangements were in place to protect them before, during, and after the polls and called on them to come out en masse to cast their votes. The Government urged citizens to disregard allegations of using local militias to harass voters, stating that such claims were the work of elements seeking to create panic in the state due to political desperation.
