Amid the incessant attacks in Kogi, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP/Kogi Central) has called for increased security in the state to ensure peace and security, urging the federal government to zoom its searchlight on the Confluence State.

The call followed a recent attack in Idah, Kogi East, where a 75-year-old woman, Mallama Meimunat Opaluwa-Sani, and her granddaughter were set ablaze by unknown assailants, leading to the death of the septuagenarian.

Last week, 21 travellers were kidnapped along the Ajaokuta-Itobe road, all thanks to security operatives who reportedly rescued all the victims.

Also, a popular Juju artiste, Omoba De Jumbo Beats, and his band members were kidnapped in Kogi last month and later released after family members and well-wishers rallied around to pay for their ransom.

In November 2023, a member of the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC), Imaobong Samuel, along with 11 other passengers, was also kidnapped on her way to Kogi orientation camp with others on board the Akwa Ibom Transport Company (AKTC) bus.

Senator Natasha, however, urged the government to ensure the security of all citizens at all times while calling for the deployment of technology to improve the level of security in the state and the country at large.

She believes the issue at stake requires a collaborative effort to surmount, adding that there would not be development without peace and security.

She further identified poverty and poor governance as major contributors to the spate of insecurity in the state, urging governments across all levels to address this dysfunctional leadership.

Vanguard News