TheCable

The Kogi government has vowed to keep residents safe, saying the state has the capacity to stamp out criminal activities.

On Thursday, two persons, including a naval officer, were shot dead on Okene-Lokoja road.

The officer and a woman were said to be travelling in a Toyota Sienna car when they were shot by yet-to-be-identified gunmen.

Reacting to the killings in a statement on Friday, Kingsley Fanwo, commissioner for information and communications, commiserated with the families of the victims.

He said the Yahaya Bello administration would change the narrative in a couple of days, noting that security plans and strategies are already in place to address the situation.

Fanwo said the government is doing everything a responsible administration would do to keep residents safe.

He called on the people to come together, rededicate themselves and put their trust in ” the system that has earned us rave commendations as one of the best in the area of security”.

“Latest onslaught against our state and our people have been unfortunate and sad. We stand with the families that lost their loved ones and breadwinners to the cowards in the garbs of criminals. They won’t lose their lives in vain,” he said.

“The State Government wishes to also allay the fears of travellers on our roads. Our style is not different from the global standards which stipulate that security strategies do not become a public product.

“But we are doing everything a responsible Government should do to ensure security of lives and property of the people.

“We sympathize with the armed forces for the personnel lost to the men of the underworld. The losses won’t bend our resolve to make Kogi State a hard place for criminals to perpetrate their heinous crimes.

“Our security agents have the capacity to stamp the pockets of criminal activities out of the state. We are winning the war.

“We urge all Kogites to support our efforts, plans and security agencies in order to re-establish our capacity to ensure security across the State.

“To our people, Government is with you. Our roads are safe as security personnel have been deployed to handle the emerging threats and for effective intelligence gathering to ensure our people are safe while travelling on our roads.”