Kogi West Under Siege: Is the Insecurity a Political Game?
By Sanusi Olukotun,
The once-peaceful Kogi West has been plagued by a wave of bandit attacks, kidnappings, and killings, leaving residents living in fear.
The recent spate of violence has sparked concerns that the insecurity is politically motivated, aimed at discrediting the quality representation of some elected officials from the region.
The people of Kogi West are asking, “Why us?” The region has been a bastion of peace and stability, with communities coexisting harmoniously.
However, the recent attacks have led many to believe that there is a deliberate attempt to undermine the achievements of their representatives.
“It is no coincidence that Kogi West is experiencing this wave of insecurity, just as it was during the former President Goodluck Jonathan era,” said a resident. “We know what happened then, and we see the same script playing out now.”
The insecurity has reached alarming levels, with worshipers being kidnapped and killed in churches, and communities living in constant fear. The people are distressed and angry, demanding answers and action from the government yet to no avail.
“We are not just fighting for our lives, but for our dignity,” said another resident. “We will not allow anyone to use us as pawns in their political game.”
The traditional rulers and people of Kogi West have raised alarm over the situation, calling on the government to take urgent action to address the insecurity. The political class at home are also living in fear, but they are constrained from speaking out for obvious reasons and conjucting theories to claim that the insecurity is a general phenomenon. But it is without gainsaying the fact that what is happening to Kogi West from Lokoja to Yagba West is unusual.
The recent attacks on Aiyetoro-Kiri Community, Oke-Agi, and Ilai communities are just a few examples of the many incidents that have left the people of Kogi West traumatized. The kidnapping of worshipers at the Cherubim and Seraphim church in Ejiba Yagba West local government area two weeks ago, with no sign of release, has further heightened tensions.
The people of Kogi West are calling on the government at all level to investigate the true motives behind the insecurity and to take concrete steps to address it. They people are also demanding that those responsible for the attacks be brought to justice, beginning from how Kogi West became a floodgates for strangers with command for traditional rulers to trade off their land or be banished.
As one resident put it, “We are not just asking for peace, we are demanding it. We will not be intimidated, and we will not be silenced.”
As things are, despite the insecurity situation, the people of Kogi West are resolved. They cannot be intimidated into fear and no attempt to undermine the peace and security of a people who over the years have lived as there brother’s keeper will be mortgaged. So the million questions on the lips of many is, could this be political or a coincidence?.
Sanusi Olukotun, writes from Abuja, is a native of Kabba, Kabba Bunu LGA.
