ANE-IGALA SOCIO-CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION
No. 29 Palace Road, Opata, Idah,
Kogi State, Nigeria
Date: 18th May 2025
To:
The Inspector General of Police,
Nigeria Police Force Headquarters,
Louis Edet House, Abuja, FCT.
Cc:
The National Security Adviser,
Office of the National Security Adviser,
Three Arms Zone, Abuja, FCT.
Subject: Urgent Petition on the Alarming Rate of Kidnappings and Insecurity on Major Roads in Kogi East (Igala Land)
Dear Sir,
We write to you under extreme distress and deep concern as citizens and representatives of the Ane-Igala Socio-Cultural Development Association (AISDA), headquartered at No. 29 Palace Road, Opata, Idah, Kogi State. This petition is necessitated by the escalating and unabated wave of kidnappings, armed robbery, and violent attacks being perpetrated by hoodlums on key roads across the Kogi East Senatorial District.
The specific routes of concern include:
Itobe–Anyigba Road
Ajegu–Idah Road
Ejule–Aloma–Otukpa Road
These routes, critical to the socio-economic life of the Igala people and surrounding communities, have now become death traps. Daily, innocent commuters fall victim to well-organized kidnapping gangs who abduct travelers freely & easily, demand huge ransoms, and subject them to inhumane treatment in the forested areas bordering these roads. As we write, many citizens remain in captivity, languishing in unimaginable conditions.
Most alarming is the fact that along the Ajegu–Idah road—a stretch of approximately 50 kilometers—there exists no single police checkpoint, leaving the vast majority of the route unmonitored and vulnerable to repeated attacks.
This situation has rendered the people of Kogi East unable to move freely in search of their daily bread. Farmers, traders, students, and other road users now live in fear, unable to traverse roads that were once peaceful. Not a single day goes by without reports of new abductions or armed robberies. The consequences on local commerce, education, healthcare access, and overall well-being are devastating.
We respectfully but firmly call on the Nigeria Police Force and the Office of the National Security Adviser to:
1. Immediately deploy increased security personnel to these affected routes.
2. Establish regular and functional patrol teams along the Itobe–Anyigba, Ajegu–Idah, and Ejule–Aloma–Otukpa roads.
3. Create additional checkpoints strategically located to deter criminal elements.
4. Initiate coordinated operations to comb the forests and rescue kidnapped victims still held captive.
The rising level of insecurity in Igala land has become a national emergency, and we can no longer remain silent as our people are brutalized, kidnapped, and stripped of their livelihoods. We urge your highly strategic offices to act swiftly and decisively by declaring state of emergency on security to restore law, order, and confidence in these areas.
We trust in your commitment to the safety and security of all Nigerians, and we count on your immediate intervention.
Yours sincerely,
E-signed
Citizen Akwu Umar Goodman
National Coordinator,
Ane-Igala Socio-Cultural Development Association (AISDA)
