Kogi State Government has issued a stern warning to youths and women accused of aiding bandits across parts of the state, declaring that anyone found complicit will be treated as a terrorist.
State Security Adviser, Commander Jerry Omodara (rtd), sounded the warning during a visit to the palace of the Elegbe of Egbe, Oba Ayodele Irukera, on Tuesday.
He said intelligence reports revealed that some young people in Okunland have been secretly supporting criminal gangs terrorizing the region.
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According to him, investigations show that the youths have been supplying food and weapons to armed bandits hiding in forests, thereby undermining security operations in the state.
He added that seven suspects had already been identified and placed under surveillance for allegedly collaborating with the criminals.
Omodara further alleged that some women were also involved, selling provisions to the bandits, offering information, and in some cases, maintaining relationships with them. Others, he noted, had acted as couriers, helping to transport arms from the northern part of the country into Kogi.
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He stressed that the government would not hesitate to prosecute anyone caught abetting insecurity, insisting that such collaborators would be treated no differently from the armed groups themselves. “We will continue to go after those who do not allow us to sleep or go to farms,” he declared.
The Security Adviser assured that ongoing security operations would intensify until peace and stability are fully restored, enabling farmers to return to their lands and residents to live without fear.
