…Lawmakers seek arms recovery, Forest Guards deployment as Assembly warns against fresh cycle of communal violence
The Kogi State House of Assembly has called for the immediate disbandment of hybrid vigilante groups operating in Kupa District of Lokoja Local Government Area following a violent clash that left 12 people dead and several others injured.
The Assembly also demanded the recovery of firearms and ammunition in the possession of vigilante groups operating in the area and urged the state government to deploy newly recruited Forest Guards to Kupa as part of measures to prevent a recurrence of the violence.
The resolutions followed the adoption of a Matter of Urgent Public Importance moved by the Speaker of the Assembly and member representing Lokoja II State Constituency, Rt. Hon. Aliyu Umar Yusuf, during Tuesday’s plenary in Lokoja.
The latest violence reportedly began on Thursday, August 6, 2026, after an encounter between members of the Kupa Community Vigilante Group and a hybrid vigilante group comprising Fulani herders operating in the area. According to the account presented by Yusuf, the confrontation occurred around Abugi, the headquarters of Kupa Kingdom and the location of the community’s major Thursday market.
Yusuf told lawmakers that a member of the hybrid vigilante group was allegedly involved in a confrontation with the Kupa Community Vigilante Group after resisting a stop-and-search operation. The encounter reportedly escalated into an exchange of gunfire, during which the Fulani vigilante member sustained injuries and later died.
The death was subsequently followed by the mobilisation of armed men and what the Speaker described as an apparent reprisal attack that spread to communities in the Kupa axis.
According to the Assembly’s account, three people were killed in Eguchidan, six in Emiku and two in Abugi, in addition to the hybrid vigilante member whose death allegedly triggered the reprisal, bringing the reported toll to 12.
Among those injured was the Chief Imam of Kupa, Alhaji Gimba Aliyu, who sustained gunshot wounds and was receiving treatment at a health facility. Other injured residents were also reportedly taken to medical facilities for treatment.
Assembly raises alarm over vigilante rivalry
Yusuf described the killings as an inhuman assault on residents and warned that the proliferation and alleged misuse of firearms by informal security groups could turn an already fragile situation into a wider communal conflict.
He expressed concern that security groups created to complement conventional law-enforcement agencies had allegedly become embroiled in rivalry with one another.
The Speaker recalled that the Kogi State Vigilante Service was established under the administration of former Governor Yahaya Bello, with legislative backing, to complement conventional security agencies in maintaining law and order and responding to emerging security threats.
He said the recruitment structure was intended to accommodate members of different communities, including Fulani herders in the Kupa area, as part of an inclusive local-security arrangement.
However, he argued that the arrangement had become counterproductive where rival groups operated beyond their mandates.
Rather than working together against criminals, Yusuf said, some groups had allegedly become involved in conflicts with one another, creating a situation in which “the supposed hunters of criminals have now become the hunted.”
Assembly seeks total overhaul of Kupa security structure
In its resolutions, the Assembly called for the immediate disbandment of the hybrid vigilante group operating in Lokoja Local Government Area and appealed to the National Security Adviser to take steps to dismantle the structure.
The lawmakers also urged the state government to dismantle existing vigilante structures in Kupa and recover all firearms and ammunition in their possession.
The Assembly further called for the deployment of Forest Guards to the troubled communities, recommending that trusted and mature indigenes who understand the local terrain be considered for recruitment and deployment.
The recommendation comes against the backdrop of an ongoing Kogi State initiative to train Forest Guards as part of the government’s wider strategy for securing forests and preventing criminal groups from using remote areas as hideouts.
Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo said in June that newly recruited Forest Guard trainees were being prepared to strengthen surveillance, deny criminal elements access to forest hideouts and complement conventional security agencies.
The state’s Security Adviser, retired Commander Jerry Omodara, had also disclosed in June that about 500 Forest Guards were scheduled to commence training as part of a preventive security strategy that includes the deployment of security personnel, the Kogi Vigilante Service and local hunters.
More police personnel sought for Abugi
The lawmakers also appealed to the Kogi State Commissioner of Police to deploy additional personnel to the Abugi Divisional Police Headquarters, in line with an earlier directive by the Inspector-General of Police.
The Assembly commended the Nigerian Army and police for their response to the crisis and specifically acknowledged the role of the Commander, 12 Brigade, Chari Maigumeri Barracks, Lokoja, and the Kogi State Commissioner of Police.
The House also commended Governor Ododo for what lawmakers described as his prompt response after receiving reports of the violence.
According to Yusuf, the governor directed the immediate deployment of personnel from various security agencies to the affected communities, a move he said helped restore relative peace and order.
Lawmakers demand new approach to insecurity
Contributing to the debate, several lawmakers condemned the killings and urged the government to adopt stronger measures to prevent a recurrence.
Major Enefola, representing Igalamela-Odolu State Constituency and chairman of the House Committee on Security, Vigilante and Home Affairs, described the killings as barbaric and unacceptable.
He called for an on-the-spot assessment of the affected communities by the Assembly’s security committee and engagement with the parties involved to find a lasting solution.
Other lawmakers, including Olawumi Jacob, Bin-Ebaiya Shehu Tijjani, Abu Onoru-Oiza Jibrin and Aliyu Maikudi, also supported the motion and called for stronger security measures. One lawmaker, Idowu Ibikunle, alleged that some members of the hybrid vigilante groups were collaborating with kidnappers operating in the state, an allegation that requires independent investigation before it can be treated as established fact.
The member representing Ajaokuta State Constituency, Jibril Abu, described the killings as “wickedness of the wicked” and argued that the authorities must change their approach to insecurity.
He maintained that repeatedly applying the same security strategy without addressing its shortcomings would not produce a different outcome.
He also advocated the empowerment of properly regulated local vigilante groups, arguing that residents who know the terrain can provide useful intelligence to conventional security agencies.
Kupa’s history of deadly violence
The Assembly’s concern is heightened by Kupa’s history of violent confrontations.
Yusuf described the latest incident as the third major violent episode recorded in the area, recalling the Ekpan-Abugi invasion of November 2014 and the Gugurugi violence of January 2015.
Earlier reports from 2014 and 2015 documented deadly clashes involving residents and Fulani herders in Kupa, including attacks that resulted in deaths, destruction of homes and other property and the displacement of residents.
Kupa has also experienced other security incidents in more recent years. In September 2025, a report from the community said armed bandits attacked a police checkpoint in Kupa and killed police officers on duty, prompting calls for stronger security infrastructure and intelligence support.
The recurrence of violence has therefore placed renewed pressure on authorities to move beyond emergency deployments and develop a durable security and conflict-prevention framework for the area.
Assembly seeks to prevent another cycle
The lawmakers warned that continued communal tensions, unchecked access to firearms and competition between informal security groups could deepen mistrust between farming communities and herders and trigger a broader cycle of retaliation.
They consequently called for stronger coordination among the police, military, state security structures and other lawful security agencies, while insisting that community-based security arrangements must operate within clearly defined legal and operational limits.
The Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Comfort Ojoma Nwuchiola Egwaba, who presided over the sitting, thanked the state government and security agencies for their intervention and urged them to sustain their efforts to prevent another outbreak of violence.
The Assembly also observed a minute’s silence in honour of the victims.
For residents of Kupa, however, the immediate challenge remains restoring confidence, securing vulnerable communities and ensuring that the latest bloodshed does not become another chapter in the area’s long history of recurring violence.
The Assembly’s intervention has now shifted attention from the immediate security response to a broader question: whether community-based security structures can be effectively regulated and integrated into the formal security architecture without becoming sources of conflict themselves.