Police Intelligence Warns of Armed Bandit Influx in Kogi as Schools, University, Banks Listed Among Potential Targets

A police intelligence alert has put security agencies in Kogi State on heightened readiness after investigators reported a significant influx of armed bandits into forested areas of Kogi East. The internal communication, shared by the State Intelligence Department in Lokoja and published by Sahara Reporters, indicates that the groups are fleeing intensified military operations in neighbouring Kwara and Niger States.

According to the signal, the armed groups have moved into forests around Bassa and the Anyigba–Ochaja axis. Officers were warned that the bandits, some allegedly wearing military uniforms, are carrying AK-47 rifles and other high-grade weapons. Intelligence assessments listed several locations as potential targets, including Ochaja Boys and Girls Secondary Schools, Prince Abubakar Audu University in Anyigba, banks across Kogi East, police stations and places of worship.

The communication outlined fears of coordinated strikes on critical public institutions and security formations. It urged divisional heads in Anyigba, Bassa, Dekina and Egume to reinforce their stations immediately, deploy additional Quick Response and Mobile Police units, step up patrols, and intensify stop-and-search operations along major routes. Surveillance and intelligence gathering are to be maintained across vulnerable communities.

The alert follows a separate development in Abuja, where the Director-General of the Department of State Services, Tosin Adeola Ajayi, met with President Bola Tinubu on Friday night for a security briefing. Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga said the meeting focused on an updated assessment of threats and the government’s ongoing counter-measures nationwide. It comes at a time of renewed anxiety over attacks in several regions and increased calls for stronger federal intervention.

The administration has acknowledged the severity of the situation. Speaking on a television programme on Friday, Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris said the government is not downplaying the level of violence being recorded across the country and is taking steps to address it.