Kogi State has recorded a significant breakthrough in the fight against banditry, following coordinated precision strikes by security forces that dismantled multiple bandit camps.
The operations, carried out over the weekend, involved the Nigerian Army, Navy, Air Force, Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the Nigeria Police Force Air Wing.
The breakthrough was announced on Monday in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo.
According to the statement, the strikes targeted multiple bandit camps, dismantling criminal networks and neutralising several armed criminals, while others sustained varying degrees of injuries.
The weekend offensive was strategically coordinated by the Kogi State Government in collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser and the heads of the nation’s security agencies.
Initial reports from affected communities indicate renewed confidence in the state’s security apparatus, with residents expressing optimism about the authorities’ ability to decisively tackle banditry and kidnapping in Kogi State and beyond.
Governor Ahmed Ododo praised the operation, pledging to sustain pressure on criminal elements until they are completely eliminated from the state. He assured residents that no resources would be spared to achieve lasting peace and security.
The government also called on residents to provide timely intelligence and urged health institutions to promptly report gunshot injuries to assist security forces in tracking fleeing criminals.
The state further expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu, the National Security Adviser, the Chiefs of Defence, Army, and Air Staff, as well as the heads of the DSS, NSCDC, and the Nigerian Intelligence Agency, for their support in the successful operation.
