By Abah Benjamin Eneojoh

The Kogi State Government, under the leadership of Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, has achieved a major breakthrough in its fight against insecurity with the arrest of Two notorious bandits of Niger State origin,

The Suspects with gunshot wounds, were arrested in a remote forest in the Aherin community in Kabba Bunu Local Government Area.

According to Commander Jerry Omodara, Special Adviser on Security to the Governor, the breakthrough was made possible by the Governor’s decisive leadership and zero-tolerance policy towards insecurity.

“We have been able to saturate everywhere that they don’t have a hiding place in our state,” Omodara said. ”

it is difficult to see them inside the town again, we are arresting fake Doctors and Doctors that are treating them”, he further added.

The security adviser revealed that the bandits were apprehended in a remote settlement where they were receiving treatment, and upon receiving intelligence, security personnel, hunters and Vigilantes were deployed to the area.

“In a swift reaction, before 4:30 am I deployed some security personnel and our hunters and the vigilantes there to ensure that the information didn’t spread and they didn’t escape.”

Governor Ododo has directed that any house used for treating bandits should be demolished.

“The Governor said, get down to that place and demolish their house. We are not going to entertain or spare anyone perpetrating crime in Kogi State,” Omodara emphasized.

Core News reported recently that Governor Ododo in Isanlu-Esa, Yagba West Local Government Area, vowed to crush bandits in Kogi, and it’s clear that the administration has demonstrated commitment to make the state safe for its residents.

This latest onslaught and milestone on criminal elements by the State Government have received commendations from the people of the area, applauding Governor Ododo’s bold efforts in fighting insecurity, particularly in Okunland.

In demonstration of its commitment to
enhancing community resilience against flood disaster, the Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS) has conducted a comprehensive simulation exercise for Flood-prone communities in Kogi State.

The exercise which was in collaboration with the European Union Humanitarian Aid ECHO was aimed at training the communities on how to respond to early warnings, implement evacuation procedures, and further reinforce confidence in their preparedness and response capabilities.

The Disaster Management Officer , Nwaoha Charity of Red Cross Society, Abuja disclosed this on Tuesday while speaking in a chat with journalists at a training and simulation exercise at Akpaku and Shintaku communities in Kogi and Bassa Local Government Areas of Kogi State, respectively.

Nwaoha explained that the program tagged, “Early Warning, Early Action” EWEA, had become necessary for residents of riverine communities following the unabated rise in the water level of the Rivers Niger and Benue as result of heavy downpour recorded across the country.

The NRCS simulation exercise involves using early warnings to initiate activities like distributing aid, building capacity through training, and improving community awareness before a disaster strikes, which helps protect people and their livelihoods.

She noted that the sudden nature of flood disaster requires that the residents be kept on their toes through Sensitization, stressing the need to train them on how to prevent disasters and manage the situation at all times in the event of flooding in their communities.

The DMO noted that apart from the simulation exercise and training, the Nigerian Red Cross has also installed Water gauges to monitor the rising level of water at the river to put the communities on red alert.

She pointed out that the Nigerian Red Cross Society and IFRC are jointly implementing the project in three states identified as prone to flooding, including Bayelsa, Kogi and Lagos respectively in 12 local government areas and 24 vulnerable riverine communities.

The Branch Secretary, Nigerian Red Cross Society, Mr. Danjuma Ahmed explained that the importance of the simulation exercise was to reduce the impact of floods on vulnerable populations and improve recovery timelines, adding that it’s also a platform for agencies to evaluate their flood response plans, share lessons learnt, and strengthen collaborations.

The Ohimege Igu of Koton Karfe, HRH Seidu Akawu, represented by the Ochotakpin of Koton Karfe, High Chief Hassan Ibrahim, while appreciating the Nigerian Red Society for the training, expressed gratitude on behalf of the Akpaku and Kashinuy communities for the exercise.

“With the simulation exercise we have seen this afternoon, it’s a clear demonstration of how our people could manage the situation in case there is flooding”, he noted .

He commended the organization for the installation of water gauge to monitor the water level of the river in various communities and start relocating to higher ground .

In the same vein, the traditional ruler of Shintaku and Gande, HRH Yahaya Umaru thanked the Red Cross for putting the riverine communities on red alert and trained them on quick response techniques to tackle the crises and manage the disaster.

He expressed gratitude to the NRCS for conducting the exercise, noting that it has given them valuable knowledge on how to react and stay safe during flooding.

The communities appealed to the State government to provide relief materials for flood-affected persons and to support organisations working to complement official interventions

Earlier on Saturday, the Society held a meeting with relevant stakeholders such as the IFRC, SEMA, NEMA, NASRDA, NIMET, Community Leaders, Security Agencies and the media on disaster management response.

The NRCS Kogi State Branch Chairman Mr. Benjamin Ajodo in his welcome address explained that the meeting was a strategic move to deepen understanding and also strengthen inter-agency coordination and collaboration amongst agencies in response to emergencies in the state. assess the operational readiness of emergency response teams in a severe flood situation.

In his remarks at the occasion, the Executive Secretary, Kogi State Emergency Management Agency, Mr. Mouktar Atima applauded the NRCS for constantly ensuring the safety of lives and property in the state.

While speaking on the efforts being put in place by the SEMA to mitigate the effect of the impending flood on communities prone to flooding, Mr. Atima emphasised that Governor Usman Ododo has demonstrated strong commitment to mitigating the effect of flooding and other disasters on the people.

Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, in a message to the meeting reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to safeguarding lives and assets, noting that the government would support awareness initiatives aimed at educating the public about protective strategies for natural disasters.

Represented by the Special Adviser to the governor on Emergency Management, Alhaji Muhammed Shuaibu, Governor Ododo said the “Early Warning, Early Action” slogan was in tandem with the state government’s action-based program of safety of lives and property.

He highlighted some measures being implemented by his administration to boost the management of impacts of disasters on affected persons, including sensitization, advocacy and enlightenment programs.

Gov. Ododo emphasized the importance of individuals consistently implementing safety precautions and developing routines that would improve safety and safeguard lives and property in the state, and promised to provide immediate relief to affected communities.

By Musa Solomon.

The Kogi State Government is set to henceforth sanction any school that bypasses the State Ministry of Education in the registration of National Examination Council (NECO) Examination.

The State Commissioner for Education Mr. Wemi Jones made this known on Tuesday during a meeting with some school heads in Lokoja.

He stated that the State Government has invested a lot of funds in Education and will not allow bad elements in the sector to sabotage the gains already made in the education ecosystem.

The Commissioner who was represented by the Acting Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mrs. Barikisu Omolayo Onazare, noted that the State Government allocation of 30% of the State Annual Budget to Education was to ensure that every child of school age had access to quality, accessible and affordable education and would not tolerate anyone that wants to draw the hands of the clock back.

According to him, bypassing the Ministry in NECO or any other Examination registration would henceforth be regarded as a serious offence by the Ministry.

Speaking earlier, the NECO Desk officer Mr. Paul Baba said some schools in the State deliberately bypassed the Ministry in the 2025 NECO Registration.

He decried the unwholesome attitude of some schools in trying to undermine the Ministry by conniving with NECO staff in the State to sabotage the Ministry and the State Government.

According to him, the ministry is aware of a syndicate in the State NECO office who connive with them to collect half of the money meant for clearance in the Ministry and clear them without clearance from the Ministry.

He noted that this will not be allowed to continue as the Ministry might consider writing to the NECO headquarters to stop such Schools from writing the Examination.

Responding, representative of one of the Schools in attendance, Mr Sunday Joseph of Demonstration Standard College, Onyukoko, Okene pleaded for lenience on behalf of the Schools and promised that such ugly trends would not happen again.