A member of the Kogi State House of Assembly representing the Bassa State constituency, Hon. Sunday Daku has said an unspecified number of people were killed when gunmen invaded the Bassa Local government area in Kogi
The killings which were confirmed on Wednesday by the lawmaker lamented the emerging insecurity situation in his constituency.
The Member in a motion of urgent public importance lamented that several persons have been killed by unknown gunmen in his Local Government.
“Bassa Local Government Area was noted for peaceful co-existence, devoid of tribal, religion or political crisis, until in the year 2016 when the inter-tribal crisis broke out.”
“Former Governor Alhaji Yahaya Bello carefully managed the crisis and returned total peace to Bassa Local Government Area and that peace was sustained till His Excellency, the present Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo came on board.”
“The same relative peace that His Excellency Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo inherited from his immediate predecessor Alhaji Yahaya Bello is now being hampered by unknown gunmen who now go about killing innocent citizens of Bassa Local Government Area.”
“About two months back, a man went to his farm and met his untimely death by unknown gunmen. As if that was not enough, on Wednesday 23rd of October 2024, residents of Sheria town and other suburbs woke up with shocking and sad news when three illustrious sons of the land met their death by unknown gunmen.”
“On Thursday 24th October 2024 again two settlers in Sheria were brazenly killed by yet-to-be-identified assailants.”
The lawmaker moved that the Kogi State Government should as a matter of urgency, direct security agencies to intensify more effort to avert further lost of lives in Bassa Local Government Area.
Daku also wants the government to direct security agencies to swing into action in fishing out the perpetrators and make them face the full wrath of the law.
In his contributions, the member representing Ajaokuta State Constituency Hon Abu Onoru-Oiza Jibrin explained that the attacks in Bassa Local Government is getting out of hand, adding that farmers are mostly the targets.
“This attacks is usually targeted against farmers in the various local government areas where farming is taking place. We have also discovered that no value is being placed on human life anymore by these attacks.”
“I am privileged to have seen some gory images from these incidents where people’s heads were beheaded, intestines removed. This is not good for our State. There must be an urgent action to save the lives of our people,” he added.
Contributing theember representing Igalamela state constituency Hon. Major Enefola, called for the removal of some security officers in Bassa Local Government, alleging that they are accomplices in the killings of innocent people in the area.
In his ruling, the Speaker of Kogi State House of Assembly Rt. Hon. Aliyu Yusuf directed the House Committee on security to carry out a comprehensive investigation using local vigilantes to know the possible course of the killings in Bassa Local Government.
He urged the security agencies in the Local Government to apprehend the perpetrators of the crime so that they could face the full wrath of the law.
