Kogi State Security Adviser, Commander Jerry Omodara, has called on state governments across the country to key into the Federal Government’s security architecture to completely defeat insecurity in the country.
Omodara, who stated this after a meeting with South-South women groups in Kogi State, said the success recorded by the Kogi State Government in tackling insecurity was largely due to its synergy with conventional security agencies and the adoption of both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches.
He said Kogi had remained one of the most secured states in the country, noting that the state government had adopted a proactive approach to security, including dialogue with repentant criminals willing to surrender, while maintaining a firm stance against those who continued to engage in criminal activities.
“You will notice that there have been no major incidents of kidnapping in Kogi State in the last few months. Our position is clear: we will not pay ransom, but we will negotiate from a position of strength with those who genuinely want to surrender.
“For those who want to continue with their evil practices, we will take care of them through our clearance operations. They should ask Batijo and his group what happened to them when they decided to enter Kogi State,” Omodara said.
He added that the state would continue to encourage genuine surrender while intensifying operations against criminals, stressing that the government would neither pay ransom nor allow criminals to dictate the terms of engagement.
Omodara had earlier directed the leadership of the South-South group to submit the names of six women from the group who would benefit from an empowerment programme involving the provision of sewing and grinding machines to improve their livelihoods.
The leader of the South-South group in the state and Special Adviser to Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, Abu Michael, commended the state government for integrating the group into the mainstream of political activities in Kogi State.
Michael also lauded the Security Adviser for extending the empowerment initiative to members of the group, assuring that the South-South community would continue to support the Ododo administration.
He further pledged that the group would mobilise overwhelming votes for the re-election of Governor Ododo and other candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections.