Concerns over resurgence of kidnapping, robbery in Kogi
Motorists and commuters plying the Lokoja-Obajana/ Kabba-Oshokoshoko road in Kogi State have raised concerns over what they described as resurgence of kidnapping and armed robbery activities along the route recently.
A commercial driver, Oluwadare Alabi, who spoke on the development, said the spate of activities of the criminals on the road in recent times was alarming and called on security agencies in the state to step up effort to arrest the situation especially as the yuletide season beckons.
He said there were reports of some kidnapping cases on that axis in the past couple of days, adding that the criminal elements capitalised on some bad spots of the road coupled with the presence of thick vegetation to perpetuate their evil acts.
Another motorist, Abdul Momoh, who corroborated the development, urged the security agencies to deploy more personnel to the flashpoints on the road in order to stem the ugly tide.
He noted that the state government in collaboration with the security agencies through the “Operation Total Freedom” had in the past tried a lot in smoking out notorious kidnappers and armed robbers from the Lokoja-Obajana/ Oshokoshoko-Kabba/LokojaOkene axis, saying that their
Daily reports that a brother to the Speaker of the Kogi State Assembly alongside his wife and two other persons were kidnapped while travelling on the road on Monday.
Meanwhile, the Kogi state House of Assembly has called on the state to government to collaborate with the security agencies to intervene and arrest the resurgence of “highlevel kidnapping” and armed robbery on Lokoja-Obajana, Oshokoshoko-kabba and other roads in the state.
The House also urged the state government to further help equip the police with more hightech communication and other security gadgets to enhance crime detection and prevention in the state.
Spokesman of the Kogi Police Command, Mr William Aya, who confirmed the the incident, said those kidnapped on Monday had been released from captivity.
He said its men have stepped up surveillance and patrol across the axis, adding that three kidnapping attempts were foiled by security operatives on Tuesday.
Reacting activities on that road in recent time, however, cautioned against politicisation of the issue, adding that the figures of persons being bandied on the social media purported to have been kidnapped along that road were not true.
“We will certainly ensure that we put the state on the right path of security and we are not going to lose an inch of the level of success we have gained in the past.
He urged the people to relax, saying that security operatives have been mounting surveillance and combing the bushes around the axis to tackle the issue.
According to him, the security agencies have made some arrests.