Senator Sunday Karimi, representing Kogi West Senatorial District, has appealed for calm following recent attacks in parts of the state, assuring that both the Federal and State Governments are working with security agencies to tackle insecurity.
Karimi, in a statement on Wednesday, commended the Kogi State Government and security operatives for their “dogged determination” in safeguarding lives and property despite the challenges.
The senator’s remarks followed reports of the killing of three policemen and two vigilante officers, as well as fresh cases of kidnapping along key roads in the state.
“My office has been inundated with reports of killings on the outskirts of Egbe, Okoleke, Isanlu and Esa road where three policemen were ambushed and killed,” Karimi said. “There was also another reported case where vigilante officers were attacked and killed along Egbe–Eruku road, a boundary town between Kogi and Kwara. This is in addition to a kidnapping incident on the Obajana–Lokoja road where passengers in an 18-seater bus were taken.”
He acknowledged the frustration of residents who blocked the Ilorin–Egbe road in protest of the worsening insecurity. However, he urged the youths to exercise restraint.
“We who are their representatives, as well as the government, are equally not happy. We are working collectively and round the clock to ensure that these cases of insecurity are addressed,” he said. “The state government and security agencies are making serious efforts to curtail the situation. I therefore sympathise with those who lost loved ones in these attacks. The people’s problems are our problems.”
Karimi stressed that insecurity is a national challenge and not peculiar to Kogi, noting that states across the federation are “overstretched” by criminal activities.
“It is unfortunate that many states are experiencing one form of insecurity or another. What is happening is not peculiar to Kogi State alone. The government is doing its best, and I call for calm and support so that criminals can be flushed out,” he said.
The senator further praised the Kogi government’s commitment to peace and security, describing the interventions as resource-intensive but necessary.
He expressed confidence that “with ongoing efforts, the pockets of insecurity will soon be a thing of the past.”
