By Dada Ahmed
Undoubtedly, when the founding fathers of the present geo-political entity called kogi state, carve out of Kwara and Benue states hatched the idea of having their own state in the mid 80s and actualised their dream on August 27,1991 with the birth the state, they did not envisage a state where bloody communal clash, kidnapping a, cultism and armed robbery and other form of crime and criminality would be a feature of serious concern to the citizens and others alike.
Little did they Know of the enormity of communal conflict bedeviling the state’s developmental efforts it were today.
Political analysts believe that the philosophy behind the struggle and actualisation of the creation of kogi was anchored on a vision of a state where citizens will co-habit under a peaceful atmosphere, with a view to harnessing its rich human and natural resources for the state to take its rightful place in the comity of developed states in Nigeria.
However, far from such patrotic dream, pieces of empirical evidence reveals the state as one hot beds of the nation’s catalogue of crime and criminality, ranging from herders/farmer clashes, armed robbery, kidnapping, cultism among other criminal tendencies.
Successful administrations in the state, be it military or civil, would readily point at crime and criminality as their worst headache in the art of governing the state.
Without prejudice to crime rate in other states of the federation, the police command, under the leadership of Mr Ede Ayuba Ekpeji paraded 28 suspected criminals for various crime committed against the law abiding residents of the state and those transiting the area to other parts of the country.
One of the suspects told journalists that he participated in shooting to dead of a business tycoon and owner of a popular Super market in Lokoja, ( Chuks Shipping mall) , Mr Nicholas Ofodile.
Items sized from the suspects, who include armed robbers, ritualists, kidnappers among others are assorted ammunition and other dangerous weapons used in perpectrating crime.
Perhaps, , the most gruesome nature of myriad of crimes in some parts of the state which residents say touch their heart beyond their wildest imagination is that of July 28 at Agbudu community in Kogi Local Government Area of the state.
Sources disclosed that the people of Agudu came under attack by some gunmen who stormed the village, perhaps on revenge mission, during which they hacked 13 members of a single down and disappeared into thin air after their terrible marauding activity.
As residents and indeed, Nigeria and by extension, the world mourn the gruesome murder of the the 13 innocent souls and police swung into action to arrest the culprits, Governor Yayaha Bello has vowed to bring the criminal elements to book to serve as deterrent to others in their shoe.
Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, who in strong term condemned the attack on Agbudu community in Kogi/Koto Karfe Local Government Area of the state, through his Chief Press Secretary, Onogwu Muhammed, also resolved to sustain the operations against criminal elements in the state.
The Governor commiserated with the family of the victims of what he called “heinous and coward attack” in the community, assuring the people that government would continue to deploy all available resources to fight the heartless criminal elements with a view to bringing them to their knees.
“The marauders should make no mistake that they can unleash terror on the people without feeling the full might of the government which was elected to protect the citizens.
“Whatever the cause of the attack may be, the criminals cannot escape the consequences of their dastardly act.
“We determined to frustrate and defeat them, and no matter how far they run or where they hide, they would be smoked out and made to face the law,”he boasted.
But beyond the man hunt for the killers of 13 persons lies the need for the government, the government as well as security stakeholders to put on their thinking cap in stemming the rising tide of bloody communal clashes decimating the course of development in the north central state.
Therefore, writers of the Scientific Research Journal (SCIRJ), Volume VII, Issue 3, March 2019, in proffering lasting solution to communal conflicts in kogi and the nation at large stressed the need to use the media to consolidate national unity, peace and integration among the people.
They further advised that: “Media policies should address security issues such as the negative use that aggravates conflicts; use of the media and the public to combat conflict challenges; media collaboration with politicians and elite to educate citizens on conflicts; use of the media in collaboration with security agents to educate the public on national security issues; ensuring that media practice delineates areas that involve national security; etc.
“The psychological effects of these conflicts such as suspicion, apprehension, anxiety, stress, prejudice, etc can be addressed through enlightenment policies of the state and Federal Governments, using the media, schools and public enlightenment agencies (like the National Orientation Agency).
“The politicization of the conflicts in the state and the country can be controlled or checked by government policies that prohibit the use of conflicts by politicians for political gains.
“Youth education and empowerment, as well as increased infrastructural development and industrialization, in relation to the Nigerian political economy should be encouraged, to reduce poverty and areas of conflicts among the people.
“Kogi State Government, after adequate consultation, should acquire and clearly demarcate grazing lands where lands are surplus for cattle grazing. This should be a temporary measure until ranches are established to restrict cattle from roaming and destroying farms.
“As a long term solution, the Government should encourage the establishment of ranching, as the ultimate panacea to the conflicts between farmers and herdsmen in Kogi State and the country.
“This is because the present free or open grazing and roaming of cattle has been the major source of conflict between farmers and herdsmen.
“The State Government should constitute committees on Alternative Dispute Resolution, (made up of farmers and herdsmen) in Local Government areas where herdsmen settle in large numbers, to handle disputes between farmers and herdsmen in the state.
” The committees should review strategies to build peaceful and harmonious coexistence between farmers and herdsmen as a result of the suspicious created between them.
” Government at all levels, as a matter of necessity, should ensure the provision of adequate security to all nooks and crannies of the state to secure people’s lives and property.
” More security personnel (police, army, civil defence, etc) should be recruited, equipped and reinvigorated by strengthening their capacity to combat security challenges in any area in the state.
“Security issues should not be treated on ad-hoc basis, rather the operatives should be more pro-active, efficient and effective in intelligence gathering.
Further more, the gamut of opinion in the search for nipping the bud the security problems also emphasized the need for the Federal government to complete the Ajaokuta steel which is very critical toward employment of thousands of youths roaming the streets in the state and some of whose minds have become the devil’s watch workshop and drenched in committing crime and criminality in the state.
Parents too have a role to play by being exemplary moral rectitude and passing value of peaceful communal living they imbibe during their youthful days to the younger ones.
Religious and community leaders are also urged to preach peace, unity of purpose, irrespective of social, economic and political as well as religious inclinations and be Godly in their deeds to fellow humans, for the state and its citizens to breath fresh air to insecurity of life and property.
This is necessary as the state marks 29th anniversary as a geo-political entity in nationhood.
Ahmed is the publisher of Duaglobalnews/ The Reporters and a media consultant in kogi state.
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