GOVERNMENT'S primary role of securing life and property has been brought to question in Kogi State, as there appears to be a leadership vacuum at a time people suspected to be armed robbers lay siege on the state.Regarded as one of the most peaceful states in the country, Kogi has been under sustained attack since one month ago, with bombings and robbery cases being reported across the state, thereby portending bleak Christmas for residents.With the degenerating security situation, Kogi indigenes in the Diaspora, who had hoped to reunite with their kith and kin during the Yuletide, have had a rethink.In the last few days, various parts of the state, especially Kogi West and Central zones, have come under repeated attacks.What began as an isolated attack on a bank and the Divisional Police Command in Kabba on November 19 has become the vogue.Following the same pattern, on Monday, December 19, the Ayetoro-Gbede branch of a bank that was attacked in Kabba was bombed.The police post in Ayetoro was not spared either, as it was razed and reduced to rubbles.The brigands proceeded to Isanlu, headquarters of neighbouring Yagba East Council and placed a notice on the branch of the same bank, warning that it was the next target.About the same time, another detachment of robbers had ambushed, maimed and killed vigilantes and robbed travellers to Egbe from Ilorin and the South West almost on a daily basis.On Wednesday though, nemesis caught up with one of them whose body was paraded by vigilantes in neighbouring Eruku, Kwara State.As if it was a coordinated attack, robbers in a Rambo-style operation stormed three first generation banks in Okene on Tuesday, December 20 in a bloody attack that left 10 people dead.In what is fast becoming a pattern, the bombers stormed Ayetoro-Gbede, attacked and razed the police station and the branch of a first generation bank in the community, barely one month after a twin-bomb rocked the branch of same bank in neighbouring Kabba.According to eye witnesses, the hoodlums arrived the serene town around 12 midnight on Sunday and operated unhindered till 3am on Monday before they dispersed.An eyewitness, who said he was a security guard in the residence of a prominent politician in the community, told The Guardian that when the sounds of bombs were first heard, they thought were from fireworks, otherwise called knockouts.But when the vibrations were felt in the ceilings and on the walls, they thought it was earthquake.Policemen were nowhere to be found and could not have been able to match the gunmen if they were, giving the sophistication of their weapons and the commando-style of entry.He narrated: 'It was like a movie scene. They were about 30 of them, male and female.They came in three Hilux buses and a power bike and immediately started shooting sporadically into the air.'Everybody scampered for their dear lives. Initially, most people who were already asleep at the time the robbers arrived did not know what was happening.'The sound of gunshots kept everybody awake and fear stricken. Some left with their families to the farm that night. It was like the robbers had declared war on the police who were no where to be found.'Between 12 midnight and 3am, 10 bombs (grenades and dynamites) were detonated, all targeted at the police station, which was completely razed down and a bank about 100 meters from the station.'He added that from their mode of operation, the attackers were not after money, as they did not remove any money from the bank, and no casualties were reported.Three days later, it was the turns of three other banks in Okene in Kogi Central. About 20 robbers, heavily armed with AK47 riffles and other dangerous weapons, were said to have stormed the town around 3pm.They came in exotic cars, ranging from Toyota Jeep, Mercedes Benz and a Honda Accord car, popularly called 'End of Discussion.'On sighting them, residents and passers-by reportedly took cover, including policemen, as the robbers turned the busy city into a war zone.Travelers coming from the South and heading to the North had to make U-turn to avoid the robbers. At least 10 people lost their lives.It will be recalled that pandemonium broke out in Kabba, the headquarter of Kabba-Bunu Council when bombers suspected to belong to the dreaded Boko HaramIslamic sect, but later identified as robbers, invaded the town and bombed the divisional police headquarter, killing two policemen.The local branch of afirst generation bank some 200 metres away was also bombed,but the robbers failed to gain access to the bank's vault failed.The bandits, numbering about 10, allegedly stormed the premises of the police station, disarmed the policemen on guard andwent straight to the armoury, where they carted away guns and ammunitions and released the detainees in the station before bombing it.Having successfully subdued the police, they headed straight to thebank nearby and shooting sporadically before throwing a dynamite to gain entrance into the banking hall. Interestingly, no cash was reportedly lost.Last Wednesday, four policemen attached to the Area Command in Okene were reportedly ambushed along Okene-Auchi Road at Ahache junction on their way to the office around 8pm and killed by robbers who carted away their guns.In a reprisal attacked the next day (Thursday morning), the police in Okene invaded the hideout of the suspects, burnt down the building and in the process, a19-year-old boy was killed.Earlier on Wednesday morning along Ogori-Magogo, police said it intercepted a Volkswagen Golf car conveying 10 AK47 rifles.The occupant of the vehicles allegedly ran away, leaving the driver and a female occupant, who are now in police custody.A police sourcesaid eight outof the 10 guns recovered belonged to Kabba Police Division, which was invaded by suspected armed robbers last month, during which a first generation bank was also bombed.Branches of first generational banks in many parts of the state have remained shut indefinitely for over one month and recent attacks have created fear for extension of the closures.No official statements have been issued by the managements of the banks regarding when operations would resume, thereby crippling economic and commercial activities in the area.Residents daily besiege the banks, begging to have access to their monies. Similarly, civil servants, whose salaries were paid into the affected banks, now travel to Lokoja for monetary transactions.'The situation is expected to force many prospective travellers during Xmas to shelve their plans since people cannot afford to carry large sums of money in their cars.'Those armed robbers are aware of the situation already and are capable of wrecking further havoc, unless the police and the banks authorities are able to reach an agreement on how to find a solution to the security problem,' a customer stated.Amid this worrisome situation, Governor Ibrahim Idris left the state/country for United Arab Emirate on holidays, allegedly without handing over to his Deputy, Mr. Philip Salawu.There has been no love lost between Idris and Salawu in the last one year over issues related to succession. It was not clear who Idris ceded authority to, but the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. Musa Ahmadu, was also said to be on his way out of the country.The seeming power vacuum has also permeated the security agencies/services, as the Commissioner of Police, Mr. John Abakasanga, is said to either be on his way to the national Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) in Kuru, near Jos for the 2012 senior executive course or writing his handover notes.An authoritative source said former Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Chris Olakpe, might have been penciled down as his successor early next year.Efforts to reach the Commander, Command Army Records, Lokoja, Maj-Gen. A. Chukwu, were unsuccessful, as he was said to have gone to Abuja.One of his aides, however, confirmed the readiness of the military to join in efforts to protect life and property once they are briefed by the appropriate authorities.For Governor-elect, Capt. Idris Wada: 'I am out of the country now for a break. It is not right for me to comment on such a matter when we have a sitting governor. It will be presumptuous of me. I fully sympathize with the victims,' was his response by text message to The Guardian enquiry.Meanwhile, news that the Federal Government may have approved joint military-police patrol and surveillance of the Lokoja-Okene and Lokoja-Obajana-Kabba-Egbe-Ilorin roads is rekindling hope in many quarters.The Guardian also gathered that meetings were ongoing in the various communities where traditional institutions, in conjunction with well meaning community leaders and council administrations, were making efforts to re-invent hunters and local vigilante groups.'We believe we need a mix of orthodox and traditional measures to stem the tide,' noted the source.A former Deputy Chief of Staff (Presidency), Prince Olusola Akanmode, who hails from Ayetoro-Gbede, told The Guardian that the helplessness of the police in combating crime and criminals is a great concern, saying: 'These are extra-ordinary times that call for extra-ordinary measures.'He added: 'Immediately I got a text information around 12:21 am, I made contacts with the police headquarters in Lokoja and kept in contact with the community leaders till two to three hours, but the thing went on unabated.
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