Kogi Government Orders Closure of Zango Market Over Security Threats
The Kogi State Government has ordered the closure of Zango Market in Osara and imposed a ban on the roadside parking of trucks in the area due to escalating security concerns.
The directive comes in response to intelligence reports indicating that criminal elements have been using the market as a hideout, often in collaboration with truck drivers who park along the roadside as the government emphasized that this posed a significant threat to the Confluence University of Science and Technology, Osara, and the broader community.
To enforce this order, market operators and truck drivers have been given a one-week grace period, starting Wednesday, to comply with the directive. After this period, the Kogi State Government will fully implement enforcement measures. Governor Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo has tasked the Secretary to the Government of Kogi State to communicate the order to all relevant parties, including law enforcement, to ensure smooth compliance. The state’s security operations will also be closely monitored by the Office of the State Security Adviser.
In a separate development, security concerns are also rising in Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area, where a string of kidnappings has occurred recently. Notably, the newly elected councilor representing Odo-Ape ward in the Kabba-Bunu Legislative Council, Alaba Ope, along with eight other people, were kidnapped in a series of attacks overnight. The kidnappers reportedly fired sporadically to frighten locals, and residents are now living in fear as more abductions continue to occur in the area.
Efforts to contact the Nigeria Police for a response to the kidnappings were unsuccessful, as calls and messages sent to the Police Public Relations Officer went unanswered. The growing wave of criminal activity, including the kidnapping of multiple individuals in the region, has prompted locals to call on the state government and security agencies for urgent intervention to protect lives and property and secure the release of those abducted.
