By Hon. Daniel Oné Ejigbo (DOE), Former Commissioner for Rural Development, Kogi State
For weeks now the people of Biraidu District and neighbouring communities in Dekina Local Government Area have lived in fear as a fresh wave of kidnappings disrupts daily life and threatens livelihoods.
“These attacks have left our communities traumatised,” said Hon. Daniel Oné Ejigbo, a former state commissioner and aspirant for the Bassa/Dekina federal constituency, in a press statement released today. “Farmers can no longer go to their farms. Mothers cannot go to market. Our children cannot sleep. People are being taken from their homes, ransoms are being demanded from poor families, and lives are being lost. This is totally unacceptable.”
Local residents describe a palpable atmosphere of anxiety: men and women who once rose early for farm work now wait until daylight is well advanced; market footfall has fallen as traders fear journeys to and from their stalls; schools are under strain as parents weigh the safety of sending children out each morning. Sources in the area say kidnappers have operated in bushes and forested enclaves around Biraidu, taking advantage of limited security presence and poor intelligence flow.
Hon. Ejigbo framed the crisis as a failure of the state’s most basic responsibility. “The primary duty of any government is the protection of lives and property,” he said, invoking Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which states that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government. “Today in Biraidu, that purpose is failing.”
Residents, he added, are beginning to feel abandoned. “They are asking, ‘Where is the government? Where is the protection we voted for?’” he said. “It is beginning to look like both the State Government and those saddled with security responsibilities are failing in their duty of care to our people in Dekina LGA.”
In the statement, Hon. Ejigbo set out a series of urgent measures he says must be taken to restore safety and confidence:
• State-level deployment: He urged the Governor of Kogi State to mobilise the full weight of the state security architecture to Dekina, including deployment of additional personnel, improved logistics for local police formations, and the provision of equipment and coordination support for local vigilante groups.
• Coordinated federal and state action: He called on all security agencies — including the Nigeria Police, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Civil Defence and the Armed Forces — to commence coordinated bush‑clearing and rescue operations aimed at freeing those still in captivity and dismantling criminal hideouts.
• Local stakeholder engagement: The aspirant urged the Dekina Local Government Council to convene an emergency security stakeholders meeting involving traditional rulers, youth and community leaders, security representatives and other relevant actors to agree immediate local measures and improve intelligence sharing.
Community response and caution
Hon. Ejigbo appealed directly to residents to remain vigilant and united and to share timely information with security agencies, while cautioning against taking the law into their own hands. “Do not take laws into your hands,” he said. “To the families of those kidnapped, I share in your pain. I stand with you. Your pain is my pain.”
Local leaders and civil society groups in neighbouring wards have echoed calls for a faster, more visible security response. Several community elders have reportedly begun private coordination efforts to bolster neighbourhood watches and improve early-warning systems, but say these cannot substitute for properly resourced official action.
Economic and social toll
Security analysts and local observers warn that continued insecurity could have a long-term impact on the farming-dependent economy of Dekina LGA, reducing agricultural output, disrupting market supply chains and pushing more families into poverty. The climate of fear also risks sowing social fragmentation if unresolved, with youths susceptible to recruitment by criminal networks if opportunities and protection remain absent.
The way forward
“As a community, we have the capacity to resist terror when the government stands with us,” Hon. Ejigbo said. “Enough is enough. Government must protect its citizens. Biraidu people deserve to live in peace on their own soil.”
He concluded with a call for urgent, coordinated action and for prayers for the safety and recovery of those affected: “May God protect our land.”
Hon. Daniel Oné Ejigbo can be contacted at Commissioner Road, Ate‑Meikudi Abocho, Biraidu.
