The Kogi State Police Command says scores of bandits have been neutralised and their networks dismantled during a fresh security operation, although the exact location of the exercise was not disclosed.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the command’s spokesperson, William Aya, said the success was recorded in an ongoing joint operation involving the police and the military, with support from the Nigeria Police Force Air Wing.
Aya said the sustained onslaught against bandit operations in Kogi State by the joint police and military had yielded significant results, with bandits flushed out, their networks dislodged, and several of them neutralised.
He explained that the operation, carried out with vigour, commitment and professionalism, and supported by precision airstrikes from the Nigeria Police Force Air Wing, led to the recorded successes.
The command urged members of the public to remain vigilant and report anyone seen with gunshot wounds, injuries or suspicious behaviour to the nearest police station.
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It also appealed to residents to support the ongoing operations by providing credible information about criminal elements within their neighbourhoods. “Security is a shared responsibility. Together, we can make Nigeria better,” Aya added.
The police spokesperson released the command’s control room numbers — 07038329084 and 08152195982 — for reporting suspicious movements in any part of the state.
Suspected bandits have intensified criminal activities in several parts of Kogi State in recent months. Between October and December, two churches were attacked, prompting the Obaro of Kabba, Oba Solomon Owoniyi, in collaboration with the Christian Association of Nigeria in Kabba, to place a ban on all religious activities until further notice.
TVC News reports that residents of Zango in Lokoja recently heard sporadic gunshots, after which four members of the same family were allegedly kidnapped. An elderly woman and a child were later abandoned by the fleeing suspects.
