The Kogi State Government has raised alarm over increasing local collaboration with bandits in Okun land, warning that some residents are aiding criminal activities in exchange for money or protection.
During a recent address, Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo Omadara, expressed concern over the involvement of local individuals especially women and youths in supporting insurgents.
He further disclosed that in some communities, including Yagba West, residents have allegedly paid off bandits to avoid being kidnapped.
According to the commissioner, some local youths are now engaged in supplying weapons and ammunition using their motorcycles, while certain women smuggle arms from the far North and pay these youths to deliver the items deep into the Okun forests.
Omadara assured that the Kogi State Government is actively pursuing criminal elements across the region, adding that several bandit leaders have already been arrested or killed, and the pressure on armed groups will continue.
