KOGI GOVT. PROCURES SURVEILLANCE DRONES TO TACKLE INSECURITY
Kogi State Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo has launched two security drones, surveillance PH 20 UAS, and other advanced technological support assets procured by the state government to confront terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and organised criminality head-on in the state.
Governor Ododo while launching the advanced security equipment at the 12 Brigade Headquarters, Chari-Maigumeri Barracks, Lokoja, reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to adopting cutting-edge security technologies to defeat criminals in line with global best practices.
According to him, “these drones have advanced surveillance, monitoring, and response capabilities. They can operate in difficult terrains, penetrate forested hideouts, support real-time intelligence gathering, and, where necessary, enable precision-led operations against terrorists and bandits.
“They provide early detection of suspicious movements, improve coordination between security agencies, and allow faster, intelligence-driven deployment of forces. This investment marks a major step forward in strengthening our security architecture and ensuring that criminals have no hiding place in Kogi State.
He noted that they have strengthened grassroots intelligence by building security structures across all 239 political wards. We formally absorbed 2,752 Vigilante Service personnel into the civil service to improve welfare, discipline, and professionalism.
His words, “We recruited and equipped hunters across the 21 local government areas to support operations in forests and hard-to-reach areas. We have also sustained clearance operations in several flashpoints, reclaiming territories previously threatened by criminal elements.
“We constructed and equipped a Quick Response Unit to ensure rapid deployment to security threats. We procured and distributed patrol vehicles, operational vans, thousands of motorcycles, bulletproof vests, helmets, communication gadgets, and other equipment to enhance mobility, safety, and effectiveness. Today’s unveiling of these drones builds on these efforts. It strengthens our ability to see threats early, respond faster, deny criminals’ territory, and protect our people better.
“This investment marks a major step forward in strengthening our security architecture and ensuring that criminals have no hiding place in Kogi State. Let me be very clear here: this administration will not submit to criminality. We have said it before, and we will say it again today: Kogi State will not negotiate with criminals. We will not surrender our communities. We will not allow bandits or terrorists to take over any part of our land. Government must be in charge, not bandits, not kidnappers, not criminal sponsors. Our government is fully prepared to confront, attack, and defeat all criminal elements operating within our territory.
“If any criminal group was in doubt about our determination, the unveiling of these drones should clear that doubt. To the criminals, I say this plainly: your time is running out. Kogi State’s strategic location as the gateway between the North and the South makes security a serious responsibility. Our forests, borders, and movement corridors have in the past been targeted by criminal elements displaced from other regions. We studied these threats carefully, and we responded with action, not excuses.
Earlier in his speech, the State Security Adviser to Kogi State Government – CDR. Jerry Omodara (Rtd) said the administration of Alhaji. Ahmed Ododo has made it unequivocally clear that the era of passive governance is over, and that the State will assert its authority, presence, and capacity in every inch of its territory.
“The acquisition of two PH 20 UAS drones and other support assets represents a conscious decision by the government of Alhaji. Ahmed Ododo to move beyond the current technical inventory available in the State and further embrace modern, intelligence-driven governance.
“These drones will provide real-time aerial surveillance, terrain mapping, and rapid intelligence gathering, particularly across forest corridors, border routes, and other ungoverned spaces that have recently served as sanctuaries for criminal networks.
“They will equally serve as force multipliers, extending the reach of our security agencies and reducing the risks faced by personnel in the line of duty. Importantly, these drones will help close the intelligence gaps that criminals have exploited for years.“
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Waid Shaibu who also spoke at the event, praised the Kogi government’s effort to ensure effective monitoring of movement of criminals and their hideouts across the three senatorial districts of the state with a view to tracking them down by security operatives.
Lt General Waid Shaibu who was represented by Chief of Transformation and Innovation Army Headquarters, Abuja, Major General O.S. Abai, said that the Army would not relent in its professional responsibility to protect the lives and property of citizens.
The commander, 12 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Brig.-Gen. Kasim Sidi in his remarks, assured of sustained military commitment to peace and security in Kogi state, noting that cooperation from citizens in giving security operatives useful information remains crucial in an effort to defeat criminal elements.
