The Kogi State Police Command has announced that several bandits have been killed and their operational networks broken up during a recent security offensive, though the specific location of the operation was not revealed.
In a statement released on Sunday, the Police Public Relations Officer, William Aya, said the achievement came from an ongoing joint operation involving the police and the military, with aerial support from the Nigeria Police Force Air Wing. According to him, the sustained offensive against criminal groups across the state has produced positive outcomes, as bandits were forced out of their hideouts, their structures dismantled, and many of them neutralised.
Aya explained that the operation is being carried out with high levels of professionalism, dedication and intensity, noting that precision air strikes by the Police Air Wing played a key role in the success recorded so far.
The police spokesperson urged residents to remain alert and promptly report anyone seen with gunshot wounds, unexplained injuries or suspicious conduct to nearby police formations. He also appealed to the public to assist security agencies by sharing reliable information that could help identify criminal elements within their communities.
Emphasising the importance of public cooperation, Aya stated that security is a collective responsibility and called on citizens to work together with law enforcement to make the country safer. He provided the command’s emergency contact lines, 07038329084 and 08152195982, for reporting suspicious activities anywhere in the state.
Meanwhile, criminal attacks linked to suspected bandits have increased in parts of Kogi State in recent months. Between October and December, two churches were reportedly attacked, leading the Obaro of Kabba, Oba Solomon Owoniyi, alongside the Christian Association of Nigeria in Kabba, to suspend all religious gatherings indefinitely. More recently, residents of Zango in Lokoja reported hearing gunshots on Saturday, after which four members of a family were said to have been abducted. An elderly woman and a child were later released by the fleeing attackers.
