Kogi Police Raise the Alarm, Warn of Massive Bandit Influx; Schools, Varsity at Risk
Security agencies in Kogi State have been placed on high alert after police intelligence revealed a significant surge of armed bandits moving into the region.
According to reports from the State Intelligence Department in Lokoja, these criminals are reportedly fleeing intense military operations in neighboring Kwara and Niger States and are now regrouping within forested zones around Bassa and Anyigba/Ochaja.
The intelligence indicates that the heavily armed group, some dressed in military-style uniforms, are carrying sophisticated weapons such as AK-47s. Several critical institutions have been flagged as potential targets: Ochaja Boys and Girls Secondary Schools, Prince Abubakar Audu University in Anyigba, banks located across Kogi East, police stations, and places of worship.
The report stresses the need for urgent operational measures. It recommends that divisional police officers in Anyigba, Bassa, Dekina, and Egume intensify their security posture. Additional Quick Response Unit (QRU) and Police Mobile Force (PMF) personnel are to be deployed to highly vulnerable locations. It also calls for rigorous stop-and-search operations along major roads, enhanced patrols, and sustained surveillance and intelligence gathering across the affected districts.
This alert comes against a backdrop of recent violent episodes in the state. In May 2024, gunmen attacked the Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTEC) in Osara, Okene.
Witnesses later recounted how the assailants slipped in from the bush, fired into lecture halls, and kidnapped students who were preparing for exams.
The Kogi State Police confirmed the abductions and said tactical teams including mobile police, counter-terror units, and intelligence officers had been deployed to rescue the students.
Further compounding concerns, the Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) in Kogi recently arrested 26 suspects believed to be collaborators of bandit groups. Some of those detained are locals who allegedly supply food, water, and petrol to the armed gangs hiding in the forests.
Kogi’s State Security Adviser confirmed that the operation targeted both the forest-based criminals and their ground-level support network.
To counter the growing threat, the intelligence urges fortification of police stations in sensitive zones, especially across the Anyigba/Ochaja corridor, and recommends drafting additional personnel to shore up security at vulnerable points.
Authorities are also advised to sustain intelligence gathering, heighten visibility, and coordinate operations with local communities.
Local authorities have yet to issue a public statement reacting directly to the newly revealed intelligence. But as the bandit threat looms, many are calling for swift and coordinated action — particularly around educational institutions — to prevent any repeat of the tragic campus attack.
The heightened alert underscores the increasingly complex security picture in Kogi State, as well as the challenges facing the government in protecting schools, universities, and critical infrastructure amid rising criminal activity.
