As Governor Bello leads war against insecurity in North

NORTHERN governors, at their recent meeting, mandated Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State to head a committee saddled with the herculean task of ending the insecurity ravaging the region. The North has become killing fields, with rising insurgency and armed banditry combining to ruin the region. And pained by the appalling security situation, the governors came together to salvage the situation, and found the young Kogi governor worthy to lead the war. His colleagues, no doubt, may have followed closely his scorecard on security, especially his truimphs over kidnapping and armed robbery, the twin crimes that brought the state into disrepute prior to his assuming power in 2016. Until recently that it witnessed a bloody robbery attack on a commercial bank and a police station in Isanlu, a town in the Western part of the state, Kogi had in the last four years kept a clean record of zero bank robbery. Cheerfully, it is reported that some arrest have been made.  Before 2016, Kogi was dreaded by many, including its citizens, as kidnappers and armed robbers laid complete stranglehold on the state. The highways as well as communities and towns within the state were unsafe and insecure. It was a dark epoch in the history of the state where insecurity reigned ingloriously.

Between 2011 to 2015, about16 robbery incidence with devastating impact involving commercial banks were witnessed in the state, and this is in addition to hundreds of kidnapping cases. The state was almost ravaged by insecurity.  Coming into power in January 2016, Governor Bello knew he had inherited a state that needed desperately, a new direction, and was poised to change the narrative, especially that of insecurity for which the state had gained notoriety. He displayed uncommon political will, tact and courage in freeing the state  from the fangs of criminals. Beside committing huge resources into strengthening the security architecture in the state, where hundreds of operational vehicles and communication equipment were procured and donated to all security organizations, in addition to other logistic support, Governor Bello personally led several offensives against the criminals. Bushes along all highways in the state were cleared for enhanced visibility for commuters, and this was done consistently, though gulping huge finances of the state. Inter-state drivers and travelers across the state could testify to this rare gesture.

It is no magic that Kogi, once denigrated as ‘ gravely unsafe’ state turned the curve, becoming a shining example as one of the safest in the country, and this many have concluded is the gains of proactive and courageous leadership. This feat didn’t escape the eagle eyes of the then Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Kpotun Idris, who honoured Governor Bello as the most outstanding governor on security. As tales were emerging of governors negotiating with dare-devil criminals in other parts of the country, in Kogi, it was a different ball game. For Governor Bello, the war against crime and criminality is a battle of no retreat, no surrender. For the Kogi governor, is it not just an act of cowardice to put the security votes on the table of dialogue with criminals, but an insult to the sensibilities of the people you lead. Travelers across the state could tell the story better between the Kogi in the last four years and now. Except for few incidences of security lapses, and expectedly, crime would always fight back! Security on highways across the state has improved tremendously over the years.

One act that heralded a new paradigm in the governance of the state in relation to security of lives and property was the aggressive clampdown on the criminals with several arrest and demolition of property with link to these dare-devil criminals. No fewer than 50 houses and other property belonging to these kidnappers and armed robbers were reduced to rubble. Apart from leading from the front, Governor Bello showing uncommon leadership traits ensured the operation began from his own hometown of Okene. The governor also factored the communities, traditional and religious leaders into the state security arrangement. He didn’t claim to know it all. Several town hall and stakeholder meetings were convened with a view to appraising security issues across the state. Herdsmen were also not left out as Kogi has had its share of hostilities between farmers and herders. Traditional rulers, in particular, have never been actively involved in matters of security. They are now playing sensitive roles, mediating and resolving issues that could undermine peace and orderliness in their domains. Governor Bello has given them a deserving relevance by ‘truly’ recognizing their stools as an instrument of peace and security.

In strengthening the intelligence-gathering process, especially in the rural communities, the government established the state vigilante service. It recruited, trained and deployed over three thousand able-bodied men and women to their local government of origin to help bridge the gap in intelligence gathering. At a time, some state security officers were dining and wining with kidnappers, bandits and terrorists-the enemies of the people. In Kogi, a young man with the love of his people at heart; rolled down his sleeves, ignored the glory of his office and confronted the criminals head-on. He followed them to their hideouts until they were made to meet their waterloo. Himself an indirect victim of kidnapping when his late mother was abducted, a traumatizing experience for the family, where their beloved mother had to spend incredible 93 days in the den of kidnappers, Governor Bello knew that more than anything, he carried a moral burden to deal ruthlessly with the monstrous acts of kidnapping and other crimes in the state. He took the battle to the criminals and returned a conqueror. Occasional security breaches are nothing more than the kicks of a dying horse. Though not resting on its oars, the government is scaling up measures to ensure the state never slide to those dark days. While Governor Bello is only tying the loose ends in the security infrastructure of the state, some of his colleagues are gnashing their teeth in regret. It has dawned on them, that no one befriends criminals without getting his fingers burnt. Now, the kidnappers, killer herdsmen and bandits are returning with unusual boldness, unleashing incomprehensible acts of bestiality on the people. In Kogi, Governor is leaving behind unassailable records in the fight against insecurity.

• Zubayr writes in from Abuja

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