By Dada Ahmed, Lokoja.
The Kogi State Government has called on the Federal Government to grant the state a special security vote to strengthen its ongoing efforts to combat banditry and other criminal activities.
The State Security Adviser to the Governor, Retired Commodore Jerry Omodara, made the call on Wednesday at the Government House in Lokoja while receiving a message for governor Ahmed Usman Ododo,from members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), who participated in the nationwide peaceful protest against insecurity and prevailing economic hardships in the country.
Omodara explained that the request had become imperative due to Kogi State’s strategic central location and its borders with about 10 states, a situation he said has increased the state’s vulnerability to attacks by bandits and other criminal elements.
He assured that the Ododo administration has already put in place robust security measures to address the challenge, including the integration of vigilante operatives into the state’s civil service structure and the provision of operational vehicles to security agencies to enhance their effectiveness in combating criminal activities.
According to him, these efforts have yielded positive results, with several bandits neutralised and a cache of arms and ammunition recovered from criminal hideouts across the state.
The governor’s aide commended members of organised labour for providing credible intelligence on the activities of criminals and urged them to sustain such patriotic cooperation to rid the state of banditry and related crimes.
He also expressed the government’s appreciation of the cordial relationship existing between the state government and organised labour, describing it as crucial to maintaining peace and stability.
Earlier, the Kogi State Chairman of NLC, Comrade Gabriel Amari, lamented the worsening social and economic conditions in the country, noting that unemployment, poverty and insecurity have continued to escalate.
He called on both the Federal and State Governments to intensify efforts to address the alarming socio-economic challenges threatening peace and stability nationwide.
