Lokoja, August 11, 2026 — 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 claimed at least 12 lives and left several others injured.
The Assembly also urged the National Security Adviser (NSA) to order immediate disbandment of the hybrid vigilante groups comprising Fulani herders in Lokoja LGA and ensure the recovery of firearms in their possession.
The resolutions followed a motion of urgent public importance moved by the Speaker of the House and member representing Lokoja I State Constituency, Hon. Aliyu Yusuf, during plenary on Tuesday.
Yusuf said the violence followed a confrontation between the Kupa Community Vigilante Group and a hybrid vigilante group comprising Fulani herders.
He disclosed that 12 people were killed in the ensuing violence, while several others, including the Chief Imam of Kupa, Alhaji Gimba Aliyu, sustained gunshot injuries and are currently receiving treatment at various health facilities.
According to the Speaker, the incident occurred after a member of the hybrid vigilante group allegedly resisted a stop-and-search operation by members of the Kupa Community Vigilante Group around Abugi, the headquarters of Kupa Kingdom.
He said the hybrid vigilante member allegedly opened fire on the community vigilantes, triggering a gun battle in which the Fulani vigilante member was killed.
Yusuf said the development was followed by the mobilisation of armed men to Eguchidan, Kupa South, in what was suspected to be a reprisal attack.
He said three persons were subsequently killed in Eguchidan, six in Emiku and two in Abugi, in addition to the Fulani vigilante member killed during the initial confrontation.
The Speaker warned that the continued rivalry and alleged misuse of firearms by vigilante groups could escalate into a wider crisis if urgent measures are not taken.
He recalled that the Kupa area had suffered previous major attacks, including the Ekpan-Abugi invasion in November 2014 and the Gugurugi massacre in January 2015, which he said had severely affected the socio-economic activities of residents.
Yusuf said the Kogi State Vigilante Service was established by the administration of former Governor Yahaya Bello, with legislative backing, to complement conventional security agencies in maintaining law and order.
He explained that members of different communities, including Fulani herders, were recruited into the service and deployed to various locations, including Kupa, as part of efforts to promote inclusive community-based security.
He, however, lamented that some of the groups had allegedly gone beyond their mandate and become involved in violent rivalry.
“Unfortunately, rather than collaborating to fight crime, the groups have assumed powers beyond their mandate, resulting in unhealthy rivalry within the vigilante service in the area, to the extent that the supposed hunters of criminals have now become the hunted,” he said.
The Speaker called on Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo to urgently disband the existing vigilante structures in Kupa, recover all firearms in their possession and deploy recruited forest guards to the area.
He also urged the state government to consider recruiting mature, trusted and community-oriented indigenes of Kupa who understand the terrain to serve as forest guards.
The Assembly commended the Commander of 12 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Chari Megumeri Barracks, Lokoja, and the Kogi State Commissioner of Police for their swift response to the crisis.
It also appealed to the Commissioner of Police to deploy additional personnel to the Abugi Divisional Police Office in accordance with the directive of the Inspector-General of Police.
Seconding the motion, the member representing Mopa-Muro State Constituency, Olawumi Jacob, urged the state government to take decisive action against those responsible for the killings.
“The activities of these miscreants in our forests are getting out of hand.
“It can no longer be business as usual,” Jacob said, while commending the security agencies and government for their efforts.
The member representing Lokoja I State Constituency, Bin Ebaiya Shehu Tijjani, called for stronger collaboration among security agencies to address the growing security challenges across the country.
Similarly, the member representing Igalamela-Odolu State Constituency and Chairman of the House Committee on Security, Major Enefola, described the killings as “barbaric and unacceptable.”
Enefola called on the House Committee on Security to visit the affected communities for an on-the-spot assessment and engage the parties involved in a bid to find a lasting solution.
Other lawmakers, including the member representing Ajaokuta State Constituency, Abu Onoru-Oiza Jibrin, and Hon. Aliyu Maikudi of Kogi-Koton Karfe State Constituency, supported the motion and demanded stronger measures to prevent further loss of lives.
The member representing Yagba West State Constituency, Idowu Ibikunle, further alleged that some members of the hybrid Fulani vigilante groups were collaborating with kidnappers terrorising communities in the state.
Ruling on the motion, the Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Comfort Egwaba, who presided over the sitting, urged greater cooperation among security agencies in the fight against insecurity.
Egwaba commended Governor Ododo for his intervention in the Kupa crisis and other recent security incidents, citing the rescue of kidnapped victims along the Itobe-Anyigba Road as an example of the governor’s response to security emergencies.
She also commended security agencies for their efforts to protect lives and property across the state.
Source – The Watch Newspaper
(vitalnewsngr.com)
