The Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, has emphasized that the state government would not negotiate with criminals or yield to criminal threats.
His comments come in response to the rising insecurity in Kogi State which is among the North-Central states currently experiencing a surge in criminal attacks with several abductions in recent weeks.
Last week, armed bandits carried out two separate kidnappings in Yagba East Local Government Area, though security operatives were able to rescue five victims a few days later.
Also on Sunday, another attack occurred in Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi state, where a pastor and his wife were abducted during a church service.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television Morning brief on Tuesday, Fanwa expressed regret over the recent exchange of fire between the kidnappers and security agencies, which led to two people losing their lives although the criminals also suffered heavy losses.
“But many of the criminals now know that Kogi is a no-go area for them. We did not negotiate with any criminal, and we are not interested in doing so. In Kogi State, we don’t negotiate.
“The governor has made it clear that he will not bow to any criminal. We have the capacity to take them out, we have the capacity to deal with the situation, so we are not going to negotiate with any of them,” Fanwo said.
He explained that the recent surge in insecurity in Kogi is due to the fact that a lot of these bandit commanders relocated to Kogi state because they are feeling the heat of the military bombardment in Niger and Kwara.
“We also hope that some of this will be simultaneous because it’s like applying mosquito fleets in a bedroom while leaving the living room open.
“You know they (the mosquitoes) will go to the one that is safe for them and then move to the bedroom Later. So we want a situation where we have simultaneous cooperation,” he said.
He said many of the bandit commanders were already known to security agencies and that fresh intelligence received, including intercepted conversations, revealed some of their planned operations.
According to him, the government also knew the names and locations of some of the commanders and had tools which he did not disclose that would help security agents track them and take action.
“So it is unfortunate that we are facing this and we know that as the heat is ongoing, we also know that it’s tough. But we in Kogi state will make sure that this place is not comfortable to the bandits.” he said.
Turning to the security in place, he said the government had been working hard to protect worship centres and rural communities as recently received intelligence reports signals planned attacks on worship centres.
He added that the governor held a security meeting last week with religious leaders to share some of the intel to help prevent such attacks.
According to him, the state had already stopped more than 20 other attacks and is still spending a lot of money to keep people safe. However, residents must play their part by avoiding areas that are already known to be dangerous.
He said the vigilante service in the state had been reorganised, trained, equipped to serve as the first line of defence when there is an attack and now been added to the state’s civil service, which means they can get pensions.
“Also we have been able to employ thousands of hunters who are residing in those rural communities to collaborate with the vigilante servicemen and women and also to be able to cooperate and complement the efforts of the conventional security and agencies in the states.
“So every village you go to in Kogi state now you have an army of vigilante service, hunters and also the conventional security agencies,” he said.
He reiterated that the state government will continue to deploy all available security resources to confront and neutralize criminal elements ensuring that Kogi state is safe and secure.
