Kogi West Senatorial District, the Yoruba-speaking area of Kogi State, is currently under siege.

Residents of the area, which covers seven Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state’s 21 LGAs, live in perpetual fear. Some have deserted their villages to places they consider safe, while those who stayed back do not sleep with their eyes closed.

Even when they do, those who are lucky to wake up are confronted by gory sights and tales of bandits’ attacks. The agrarian people, known for producing the best in many fields, hardly cultivate their farmlands for fear of bandits who attack them regularly. Villages are frequently invaded, while their farmlands, apart from being plundered, are now no-go areas.

For the locals, who have long suffered neglect, especially in infrastructure, in the hands of successive state and federal governments, their once peaceful villages have become theatres of chaos. The previously calm forests, with their flora and fauna, have become safe havens for bandits.

Findings by Sunday Vanguard showed that several persons, including policemen and local vigilante members, have lost their lives in the attacks. It was learnt that the bandits relocated from some parts of the North-West and North-Central to the largely ungoverned forests. They reside in the forests from where they kidnap villagers on their farmlands, homes, and roads.

Absence of motorable roads

It was learnt that what makes the situation dire is the near absence of motorable roads in the area, which is being exploited by the criminals. For example, the Ilorin–Omuaran–Kabba Highway, which passes through many communities in the area, has totally collapsed following years of neglect by state and federal governments. Only a few towns, especially local government headquarters, can boast of paved roads.

Early this year, precisely in March, the umbrella body of Yoruba-speaking people in Kogi, the Okun Development Association (ODA), raised the alarm over worsening insecurity in the area. It called on the state and federal governments to take urgent action. This alarm followed a surge in kidnappings, robberies, and killings across Okunland, including the recent abduction of a first-class monarch, Oba James Dada Ogunyanda, from his palace in Okoloke, Yagba West Local Government Area, alongside four others. Three local hunters were also reportedly killed in the same community.

The President-General of ODA, Akenson Rotimi, expressed grave concern over the deteriorating security situation. “Our people no longer feel safe returning home. Business owners are shutting down, and farmers are afraid to go to their farms. The impact on our socio-economic activities is devastating,” he said. Akenson highlighted how markets have emptied, businesses are struggling, and agricultural activities have stalled. He acknowledged the efforts of security agencies, including the police and military, but stressed the crucial role of community-led initiatives such as hunters and vigilante groups in maintaining order.

He gave a timeline of violent incidents, dating back to May 2, 2021, when Commissioner Solomon Adegbayo was killed and Pius Kolawole, then Yagba West chairman, was abducted. He noted that Insecurity in the area has only worsened since then. In recent weeks, the attacks have reached an alarming level, with many calling on the federal government to urgently tackle the problem.

Further checks by Sunday Vanguard showed a timeline of some of the incidents that revealed not just the brazenness of the bandits but also how widespread the attacks have become in the entire zone. From January to date, it has been hell for the locals and travellers in the area.

Undertaker

In January 2025, an ambulance traveling from Egbe in Yagba West to Ponyan (in Yagba East) after a funeral was attacked by bandits. An undertaker named Segun Adekoya was killed when the group transporting a corpse was ambushed on the Egbe–Ogbe–Ponyan road.

In May, at Okoloke community, Yagba West, after the monarch Oba James Dada Ogunyanda was abducted, gunmen attacked again, killing three people. Two of them were vigilantes escorting another person to refuel a telecommunications mast. In June, the Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF), in collaboration with security agencies, arrested 26 suspects in the Kogi forests, including kidnappers and locals who were supplying bandits with logistics such as food and water. These operations targeted parts of Kogi West and nearby LGAs.

Last month, there was an attack on a police checkpoint in Egbe, Yagba West. Bandits ambushed officers at the Ofili checkpoint along the Egbe–Okunran–Pategi Road. Three police officers were killed, and the attackers also stole their guns. Early this month, bandits attacked Bethel Farm in Ejiba (Yagba West), kidnapping three people and shooting a bread distributor staff along the route between Ejiba and Odo-Eri. A motorcycle belonging to vigilante officers was reportedly burned during the night attack.

27 people killed

Another deadly attack occurred in Bareke community in Egbe, within Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State, when heavily armed bandits launched a deadly midnight attack that left at least 27 people dead and several others injured. The incident, which occurred around 2 a.m., saw the gunmen storming residential houses, shooting indiscriminately, and setting buildings on fire. Among the victims was the family of a local farmer, Tokpe Gody, whose wife and two children were abducted, while he escaped with gunshot wounds. Witnesses said the attackers moved in groups, arriving on motorcycles and firing sporadically to instil fear before proceeding to loot homes and abduct victims. The terrifying assault happened just a few meters away from the residence of Senator Sunday Karimi, who represents Kogi West, underscoring how close the violence has crept to areas previously considered secure. Survivors recounted hours of helplessness as the community was held hostage by the invaders, who reportedly wielded sophisticated weapons and operated with precision.

Okunran, Oke-Ere

Equally disturbing are the repeated assaults on Mopamuro and Yagba East LGAs, where bandits have intensified kidnappings of farmers, traders, and commuters. In Ponyan, Yagba East, a prominent farmer was abducted earlier in July, sparking protests from locals who accused authorities of neglect. Around the same period, joint security forces from Kogi and Kwara States arrested 12 suspected kidnappers and their informant after coordinated raids in Isanlu-Esa and Okoloke, border towns in Yagba West that had suffered multiple abductions. Residents of nearby Okunran and Oke-Ere communities have since fled their homes following repeated night invasions and ransom-driven kidnappings. Many villages in Ijumu and Yagba East remain deserted as schools and farms shut down over fear of renewed attacks.

Bunu Forest

In Kabba-Bunu LGA, heavily armed gunmen have repeatedly struck rural communities, targeting travellers and local farmers. In March 2025, bandits invaded Tata-Bunu community, abducting five villagers before they were rescued by local hunters, who killed one of the attackers in a fierce gun battle. By June, the violence intensified as security operatives raided the Bunu Forest, arresting 26 suspected kidnappers and informants believed to be coordinating attacks across Kabba-Bunu, Ijumu, and Mopamuro LGAs. Despite these efforts, attacks persisted, especially along the Kabba–Obajana and Kabba–Egbe highways, where several motorists were ambushed, robbed, and kidnapped in separate incidents. In Ijumu LGA, particularly in Aiyetoro-Gbede and Ofere Forest, troops of the 12 Brigade in September 2025 neutralised a notorious bandit leader, Babangida Kachalla, who had been terrorising nearby settlements and travellers along the Lokoja–Kabba route.

Night-time raids

Sunday Vanguard learnt that the gangs deploy several recurring modes of attack such as night-time house raids and abductions. Gunmen, it was gathered, ride into villages on motorcycles, surround compounds, and terrorise occupants before looting, burning structures, or abducting people, as happened in Bareke-Egbe. Road ambushes and kidnappings also target commercial buses, traders, and lone travellers along arterial routes like Kabba–Egbe, Egbe–Pategi, and Lokoja corridors, where gunmen block roads, rob passengers, and carry off captives.

Attacks on security checkpoints, notably the ambush that killed police officers at Ofili/Egbe checkpoint, showed they also aim to disarm and demoralise official protection structures. A resident of Odo-Ere community in Yagba West LGA, Mr. Mose Folorunsho, told Sunday Vanguard that the bandits operate brazenly at any time of the day and night. “We are in trouble here. Our case is very pathetic because we lack government presence. These people come from the far North to wipe us out. People are scared to go to their farms anymore. Even when you ride on your bike, they will attack you on the road. The state of our roads is not even making rescue operations easy for security agents. I am scared. I am planning on relocating my family to Ilorin,” he said.

Highlighting how dire the situation has become, the President of Okun Renaissance Union (ORU), Mr. Temitope Bamkefa, said the forests in the zone provide a safe haven for the gangs, who he said connive with some locals. He noted that government needs to act quickly before the zone becomes another theatre of killings like some parts of Benue State. “Kogi West is gradually becoming another Benue State. These people invade villages freely because security presence here is next to nothing. Even if soldiers were to come from Kabba or Mopa, it will take them hours because the roads are not good. So, the situation is beyond the state government. The governor has shown seriousness by visiting affected areas. But we know he does not control security. There is little he can do. The federal government should act quickly because we have another Benue and Plateau in the making,” he noted.

It was learnt that the current insecurity, which spares no one, apart from arising from the presence of bandits who are fleeing onslaughts by security agents from the core North, may also be linked to the decision to allow unrestricted settlement of herdsmen in the last few years. Sunday Vanguard learnt that a former administration in the state had allowed herdsmen to settle indiscriminately, saying the aim was to grow the dairy industry in the state. Locals, at the time, were apprehensive and raised the alarm over the potential security implications.

Mining activities

Sunday Vanguard also gathered that illegal and unregulated mining activities in parts of Kogi West have become a major driver of insecurity, particularly in Yagba, Kabba-Bunu, and Ijumu LGAs, where mineral-rich forests and hills attract both legitimate and criminal interests. A local vigilante member, who pleaded anonymity, told this newspaper that many bandit hideouts overlap with mining zones, especially in the Egbe, Isanlu, and Aiyetoro-Gbede axes, where thick forests provide cover for both mining and criminal operations.

Governor Ododo

During his visit to Yagba West Local Government Area following the massacre of over two dozen residents in Bareke, Egbe, the Governor of Kogi State, Usman Ododo, linked the growing insecurity in Kogi West to illegal and unregulated mining activities. Addressing frightened residents, he condemned how criminal gangs had taken over mining sites across Yagba, Kabba-Bunu, and Ijumu, using them as operational bases for kidnappings and armed attacks. Ododo noted that the scramble for gold and other minerals had turned the forests into hideouts for bandits who now fund their operations through proceeds from illegal mining. He vowed to dismantle the criminal networks sustaining the violence and assured that all perpetrators, including their local collaborators, would be tracked down and prosecuted.

The governor consequently announced an immediate ban on all mining activities in Kogi West pending a full audit of licenses and operations. He said the measure was necessary to cut off financial lifelines of armed groups and enable security agencies to reclaim the forests from bandits. Ododo directed the Commissioner for Solid Minerals and security agencies to seal off illegal sites, warning that anyone caught mining without government approval would face prosecution and confiscation of equipment. He also met with traditional rulers, local hunters, and vigilante groups, urging closer intelligence-sharing to prevent further attacks.

Afenifere

Meanwhile, Sunday Vanguard learnt that joint operations such as Operation Accord III have been deployed across flashpoints like Yagba West, Kabba-Bunu, and Ijumu, targeting bandit camps in forested areas like Ofere Forest and the Bunu axis. Despite these efforts, the attacks persist, with the gangs becoming more daring. The alarming dimension the onslaughts have assumed has led to calls by Afenifere, Yoruba World Congress, Labour Party presidential candidate Mr. Peter Obi, Atiku Abubakar, and Senator Sunday Karimi, among others, for the federal government to urgently act before the zone is lost to bandits. (Sunday Vanguard)