The Senator representing Kogi West Senatorial District, Senator Sunday Steve Karimi, has demonstrated strong leadership and commitment to security by building, funding, and commissioning a state-of-the-art Forward Operating Base in Egbe, Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State.

The facility, personally financed by Senator Karimi, is the first of its kind in the North-Central region of Nigeria and has been handed over to the Nigerian Army to enhance security along the Kogi-Kwara-Ekiti borders.

The construction of the FOB began in January 2024 and was completed within nine months. The official commissioning took place on October 14, 2024, during the Egbe Township Day celebrations. The Chief of Army Staff, Lt-General Taoreed Lagbaja, represented by Major General Obinna Onubogu, General Officer Commanding 2 Division, commissioned the facility and praised the initiative as timely and visionary.

The FOB sits on approximately 10,000 square meters of land and is fully fenced with high-security American-style barbed wire and double iron gates. The facility features two 24-room hostels accommodating up to 94 soldiers and officers, a fully equipped administrative block including the Commandant’s office.

It also consists of a furnished three-bedroom apartment for the base’s commander, separate mess halls and kitchen spaces for officers and other ranks, a secure weapons storage and a surveillance tower equipped with modern CCTV systems, a dedicated toilet block and a detention holding cell.

In addition, the base is powered by a 25kVA solar inverter system, a 25kVA generator and a 500kVA new transformer, fully furnished with beds, wardrobes, refrigerators, cookers, and other essential amenities. Two brand-new military-grade Hilux vehicles were donated to facilitate operational mobility.

Other facilities include uninterrupted internet, DSTV service, and 2 boreholes to provide adequate water supply.

The Egbe FOB was constructed as a direct response to rising security threats such as kidnappings, banditry, and cross-border criminal activities.

The strategic location of Egbe, sitting at the crossroads of Kogi, Kwara, Ekiti, Osun, and Niger states, makes it a vital point for military operations.

The base provides rapid-response capability and a permanent military presence to deter criminal elements exploiting the remote forested terrains of the region.