26 suspected kidnappers arrested in Kogi forests

Operatives of the Civilian Joint Job Force (JTF) in Kogi beget arrested 26 kidnappers in collaboration with the protection agencies in a graceful-up operation in Kogi West.

The Speak Security Adviser, Commander Jerry Omodara (rtd), disclosed this to newsmen while parading the suspects on Tuesday in Odo-Ape, Kabba-Bunu LGA.

Omodara illustrious that the operation, which became as soon as implemented in the closing two weeks, became as soon as piece of the government’s efforts to form out insecurity in the dispute.

Per Omodara, the arrested suspects embody natives who beget been aiding the activities of bandits by supplying them with logistics, equivalent to meals, drinks, and water.

“It is a ways rarely most fine the kidnapper community in the forest that has been arrested, however moreover the natives who're participating with them.

“They relief as their logistics suppliers to the bandits and kidnappers in the bush.

“Our investigation after the death of the kidnapped retired Foremost Joe Ajayi showed that some natives were eager.

“The arrested suspects are serving to the protection agencies to fetch to the muse causes of the rising kidnapping in the dispute.

“You are going to also investigate cross-take a look at the arrests by job of what the dispute govt is doing. These are the of us inflicting havoc in our forests. We're now not going to allow it, we're going to provide the likelihood to be after them on myth of Kogi is now not the dispute that criminals, bandits and kidnappers will recede on and spend.

“The Kogi govt is extremely brooding about it, and that is why we are calling on communities to imbibe the first line of defense level, as vigilantes are allowed to raise lunge ranges of fingers.

“We urge communities to create some level of intelligence. Our women are for the time being getting used to raise meals and drinks and other gadgets, and sending it by about a of the youths in the communities who're bandit collaborators.

“On account of we are digging deep into getting all these criminals, that is why some disgruntled functions out of doors the dispute orchestrated basically the most stylish purported relate. Nonetheless the community has distanced itself from the protests, including these who were used.

“Governor Ahmed Ododo is committed to growing obvious that peace returns to every community, now not most fine in Bunu land however to all communities all over Kogi Speak.

“We're taking some proactive measures; when the warmth became as soon as on in Benue Speak, we took proactive measures. In the border strains equivalent to Olamaboro and Omala native govt areas, we fashioned a defense to operate lunge that we don’t beget influx of some criminals into the dispute,” Omodara said.

The protection adviser assured that the government wouldn't decide the teach of safety evenly and would continue to work with safety agencies to raise perpetrators to book.

He wired that the Civilian Joint Job Force (JTF) and other safety agencies beget been deployed to fight the activities of kidnappers and bandits in the dispute.

Omodara emphasised the government’s commitment to growing obvious peace and safety in Kogi Speak.
He emphasised that Governor Ododo’s efforts to tackle insecurity in the dispute beget yielded lunge results, with the arrest of a form of prison functions all around the dispute.

He added, “The Kogi govt has vowed to continue working with safety agencies to lunge out bandits and kidnappers from the dispute’s forests and lift perpetrators to book.”

He warned politicians, outmoded rulers, and early life who're participating with kidnappers to desist from such activities, assuring that the government would decide action in opposition to someone chanced on to be eager.

Omodara illustrious that the government had moreover fashioned a defence machine to prevent the influx of criminals from neighbouring states.

Additionally speaking, Mr. Jeremiah Danjuma, Deputy Commandant of the Civilian Joint Job Force (JTF) in Kogi West, attributed the success in combating kidnapping and banditry to the collaborative efforts of the dispute and federal governments.

“Thru the joint efforts, we fashioned the Civilian JTF, which has recorded critical achievements.

“In our cleanup operation closing evening at Bunu forests, we apprehended 16 bandits and kidnappers, including some from Zamfara.

“Among the dreaded arrested kidnappers were straight handed over to the DSS for added investigation,” Danjuma said.

The outmoded ruler of the Aiyegunle-Igun Bunu community, Oba Sunday Omodamori, expressed disappointment over a most stylish relate reportedly staged by some disgruntled functions.

“We obtained to take into account that these bandits got right here from a ways flung Kebbi and Zamfara by Niger Speak, and got right here to our yard and started to kidnap of us.

“Nonetheless the government of Kogi Speak responded squarely to form out the teach. Genuinely, native vigilantes and hunters beget repeatedly been most stylish and receive fleshy make stronger from the dispute govt.

“The relate is even coming in the relief of time table when the entire insecurity points beget subsided. So, why the relate now?

“I'm so dissatisfied, and it is disheartening that some youths who're disgruntled functions are participating with bandits, and that is why we now beget to checkmate these ones in our community in desire to crying nasty that the Authorities is now not doing anything.

“I don’t mediate that relate is lustrous, however we as a community and of us need to serene leer inward and contend with the teach of the compromise and collaborators among our of us,” Oba Omodamori said.

The monarch commended the government and safety agencies for his or her efforts in tackling insecurity in the dispute.

“The community has moreover expressed appreciation for the government’s efforts, and we are calling for extra action to be taken to operate lunge peace and safety in the dispute,” he said.

The outmoded ruler educated the communities in the dispute to leer inward and contend with the teach of collaborators among their of us.

On his piece, Ojo Olayinka, the Formative years Chief of Aiyegunle-Igun community, clarified that basically the most stylish relate wasn’t organised by their community, however quite by some groups within Bunu who took appropriate thing relating to the market day crowd.

He acknowledged that while kidnappings were beforehand rampant, govt efforts beget ended in a critical reduction in such incidents.

Olayinka expressed appreciation for the lunge impact of these efforts, noting enhancements in each and every the Aiyegunle-Igun community and the Bunu land overall.

Recalled that retired Foremost Joe Ajayi, who became as soon as kidnapped on Would possibly per chance per chance moreover fair 21, 2025, at his station in Odo-Ape, died on June 9, in captivity despite his family paying a ₦10 million ransom.