The Kogi State Government has declared a state of emergency on insecurity, announcing sweeping measures to combat insurgency, kidnapping, banditry and other criminal activities across the state.
Governor Usman Ododo made this known at the opening of a three-day training programme on development and infrastructure planning in Lokoja. Represented by the Commissioner for Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, Ashiru Idris, the governor said insecurity posed a direct threat to Kogi’s long-term development goals.
Ododo revealed that the administration has recruited 1,050 hunters—50 from each of the state’s 21 local government areas—and equipped them with protective gear and modern security gadgets.
He added that the government had established a Forward Operation Base in Omala, which has restored peace to the area, and set up Metropolitan Quick Response Units in Lokoja, Okene and Anyigba.
To support wider security operations, the state distributed 125 vehicles and 300 motorcycles to security agencies and vigilante groups. Vigilante operatives have also been formally absorbed into the civil service to strengthen community policing.
According to the governor, these measures have significantly improved safety on the previously dangerous Lokoja–Abuja and Lokoja–Okene highways.
“We will not wait for criminals to attack us—we will take the fight to their camps,” he warned.
On governance reforms, Ododo disclosed that the state now publishes all contracts above ₦5 million online, while a biometric audit removed over 2,000 ghost workers, freeing funds for development.
He also noted that civil servants now receive salaries on or before the 25th of every month, describing these achievements as “verifiable milestones recorded in under two years.”
The governor emphasised that the state’s 32-Year Development Plan serves as a guiding blueprint for governance and infrastructure growth, saying the training was crucial to ensuring continuity and long-term progress.
