Don’t spread fear of insecurity, inspire hope, govt tells lawmaker

The senator, representing Kogi West Senatorial District, Sunday Karimi, has described the daily occurrence of kidnappers in his district as one too many, lamenting the gruesome death of a 76-year-old Major, Joe Ajayi, who died in the hands of his abductors.

Karimi, in a statement, yesterday, in Lokoja, while reacting to the death of Ajayi, lamented that the whole of Kogi West is now under siege of kidnappers. He expressed concern that people of his district now remain in their houses and lamented that even at that, they are still being kidnapped from their homes.

The lawmaker, who described the story and rate of kidnapping in his senatorial district, from Lokoja, Kakanda and Bunu axis, in Kiri area of Kabba Bunu Local Council, as worrisome, recalled that till date, the 92-year-old traditional ruler of Okoloke is in the hands of his abductors.

The senator said that all over the places in Kogi West, his people now live in fear, pointing out that kidnapping is now a daily occurrence and calling for collective actions by security agencies to free the people from criminality.

He, however, disclosed plans by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and clerics under the Council of Ulaamau to organise a three-day fasting and prayer session that would help free the people from the activities of terrorists.

Meanwhile, the Kogi State Government has reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to combating insecurity and called on citizens, media stakeholders, and political actors to avoid spreading fear or politicising the state’s security challenges.

In a statement made available to newsmen by the state’s Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Femi Fanwo, in Lokoja yesterday, the government said that it is quietly but effectively recording progress in its fight against criminal elements.

The government also condemned what it described as “the politicisation of insecurity by certain desperate politicians,” warning that such behaviour undermines the collective fight against crime.

“Those who brought medicines that their side effects are worse than the ailments should not raise frivolous alarms when the right medicines are administered,” the statement noted.

The statement added that the state governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo, remains fully committed to prioritising security without politicising it. The governor, therefore, urged politicians to focus on performance as a tool for re-election rather than raising panic, saying performers do not fear re-election.