A Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Egbe, Yagba East Local Government Area, has been commissioned by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Taoreed Lagbaja, to combat insurgency and insecurity in Kogi State.
Senator Sunday Karimi, who represents Kogi West in the legislature, constructed and donated the recently commissioned FOB in Egbe.
During Saturday’s commissioning ceremony, the Chief of Army Staff made a point of saying that the project would help the military fight better against common foes in Kogi and nearby states.
Major General O.G. Onubogu, who is representing the Chief of Army Staff, stressed that the project affects the lives of all residents of the state. Onubogu is the General Officer Commanding 2 Division of the Nigerian Army.
“The Nigerian Army is reassured that the civil populace appreciates our efforts in curbing insecurity across the nation through this partnership and shared vision,” I boldly stated as Chief of Army Staff.
I can assure you that the building of this FOB is well-timed and in line with the logistical and operational difficulties encountered during the recent operation to free the captive students of Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH) from a forest close to Egbe town.
I am confident that this facility will substantially improve military operations and security along the border between Kwara and Kogi states, drawing from that expertise.
“The Nigerian Army is still committed to solving the security problems that are affecting our country and the state of Kogi,” he stated. Being the most strategically located state in all of Nigeria, this one is crucial to our endeavors.
Niger, Anambra, Nasarawa, Benue, Enugu, Edo, Ondo, Ekiti, and Kwara states border Kogi State, which is shaped by the country’s most important river. The states in the South Central, South West, South East, and South South regions also border Kogi.
Any instability along the Niger River or in any of the ten states and the FCT that surround it will disproportionately affect Kogi State. This kind of forward operating base is essential for our operations projection in the host state and nearby states.
“Our efforts to deter criminals, bandits, gunrunners, and other elements operating around the forests and rivers connecting Kogi and Kwara states will be supported by this Forward Operating Base.”
Senator Sunday Karimi, who spoke at the ceremony to officially open the project, said that he personally paid for it so that people in the area and the states of Ekiti, Kwara, and Osun would be safer.
As Senator Karimi pointed out, the Constitution makes protecting citizens’ lives and property the first and foremost duty of any government. He went on to say that the best way to fulfill this obligation is for citizens to work together.
The safety of citizens and their possessions has been an issue for the nation in the past few years. Neither the present nor the previous administration is directly responsible for this.
The problem of insecurity first came to light during President Olusegun Obasanjo’s second term and has only worsened since then.
Kidnappings, banditry, cattle rustling, Boko Haram, and other types of instability were widespread across the nation under the government of former President Muhammadu Buhari, despite our hopes for substantial improvements.
The thick forests that border Kwara and Kogi have become criminal havens, but our region was not left out.
In some areas of the states of Kogi, Okene, Kabba, Ekiti, Osun, and Kwara, people have been abducted and held in the jungles nearby until ransom is paid to get them released.
Only a few meters away from our location was the assassination of Hon. Solomon Adedayo, a notable son of this local government. Additionally, a previous chair of the local government was held captive until a ransom was paid to release him. This issue has persisted in the region.
Just recently, criminals abducted a group of CUSTECH students and led two of them to a jungle called Babanla, which is adjacent to Patigi. This area was traversed by the route they used.