Senator Sunday Steve Karimi, representing Kogi West Senatorial District, has expressed confidence that the current wave of insurgency and banditry confronting Nigeria will ultimately fail, describing it as a temporary challenge that will become a mere footnote in the nation’s history.
Speaking at his Abuja residence while receiving constituents from the seven local government areas of Kogi West who visited to mark his third anniversary in office, Karimi argued that recent security breaches across parts of the country were aimed at creating fear, undermining public confidence, and distracting the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu from its policy objectives.
According to the senator, criminal elements and their collaborators are engaged in coordinated efforts to destabilise the country through sporadic attacks, kidnappings and acts of terror.
“What Nigeria is experiencing is an orchestrated and targeted embarrassment intended to unsettle the administration and distract it from its objectives. But the plot will fail, just as similar challenges have failed in the past,” Karimi said.
His comments come against the backdrop of rising security concerns across several states, including Kogi, where communities have witnessed recurring incidents of kidnapping, bandit attacks and violent assaults on security personnel over the last two years.
In May 2024, gunmen invaded the Confluence University of Science and Technology in Osara, Kogi State, abducting students before security forces eventually rescued them following intensive operations involving the military, local hunters and vigilantes. Reuters reported that the incident underscored the growing threat posed by kidnapping syndicates operating across the North-Central region.
The security situation intensified in parts of Kogi West throughout 2025. Joint security operations led by federal and state authorities raided criminal hideouts in Kabba/Bunu, Ijumu, Mopamuro and Lokoja local government areas, resulting in fierce gun battles and the destruction of several bandit camps.
In June 2025, security agencies arrested 26 suspected kidnappers and collaborators during operations in the Bunu forest axis. Authorities disclosed that some of those arrested were accused of providing food, logistics and intelligence support to criminal gangs operating in the area.
The state government subsequently launched a sustained offensive against criminal networks. In October 2025, security forces demolished bandit camps in Aherin-Bunu and arrested suspected kidnappers who had sustained injuries during previous encounters with troops.
However, attacks persisted. In September 2025, bandits ambushed security personnel along the Egbe-Okunran-Pategi road in Yagba West Local Government Area, killing three security officers and three vigilantes. The attack heightened concerns among residents of Okunland over the deteriorating security situation.
By December 2025, the security challenge had worsened in some communities. Traditional authorities and the Christian Association of Nigeria in Kabba/Bunu suspended church activities following repeated attacks and reports of arms recoveries in the area. During the same period, armed men abducted several residents in different parts of Kogi West, while another attack in Ayetoro Kiri community left at least 13 persons kidnapped despite resistance from local security forces.
Security agencies have nevertheless recorded notable successes in recent months. In February 2026, a joint operation involving the military, police, intelligence agencies, vigilantes and local hunters reportedly overran multiple bandit camps in Kogi State and rescued kidnapped victims. Last week, troops of the Nigerian Army rescued 23 abducted passengers along the Ayegunle-Bunu road after suspected kidnappers attacked vehicles travelling through the area.
Karimi commended President Tinubu for sustaining military and security operations nationwide and for supporting reforms aimed at strengthening the country’s security architecture, including discussions around state policing.
“Our security services deserve every commendation. The enemies of the country are becoming more daring and ruthless, but our armed forces continue to make sacrifices to protect Nigerians. The President is providing every support necessary in the national interest,” he said.
The senator also expressed optimism that recently abducted schoolchildren in Oyo and Borno states would be rescued safely, citing growing collaboration among the military, police, intelligence agencies and local security networks.
Leader of the delegation that visited Karimi, Hon. Abdulganiyu Salaudeen, praised the senator’s contributions to the development of Kogi West, particularly his support for security initiatives and advocacy for the rehabilitation of the strategic Kabba-Isanlu-Egbe-Ilorin road.
Salaudeen said improved infrastructure and enhanced security remained critical to unlocking the economic potential of the senatorial district and restoring confidence among residents affected by years of criminal attacks.
Despite recent gains by security forces, analysts note that Kogi’s strategic location as a gateway linking northern and southern Nigeria continues to make it vulnerable to criminal groups displaced from neighbouring states. Authorities, however, insist that sustained military pressure, intelligence-led operations and community cooperation are gradually shrinking the operational space available to kidnappers and bandits.