Kogi State Governor Ahmed Ododo on Thursday ordered the demolition of a notorious structure popularly known as Sambel Joint in Idoji, Okene Local Government Area.
The demolition, he said, followed credible intelligence reports linking the facility to criminal activities.
This is also coming on the sidelines of the state government’s statement same day, invalidating all fraudulently and illegally acquired properties across the state, declaring them null, void and of no legal effect.
The statement by the State Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo, warned that any property found to have been illegally acquired or used for criminal purposes would be reclaimed by the government, while those involved would be prosecuted.
”In line with the directive, properties located at GP. 23A, 23B, 24A & 24B (Government Quarters, Idoji, Okene), with Certificate of Occupancy number KG. 13958, were this morning invalidated and demolished after investigations confirmed that they were illegally acquired and being used as hideouts for criminal elements,” the statement said.
Fanwo disclosed that the properties violated the Kogi State Land Administration Law as well as the Anti-Kidnapping Law, having been unlawfully occupied and converted into operational bases for criminal activities.
”The decisive action followed sustained surveillance and intelligence gathering which revealed that the location had become a haven for criminals, posing serious security threats to residents and commuters within the area,” he said.
Speaking during the demolition exercise, Governor Ododo reaffirmed his administration’s unwavering commitment to security, stressing that the protection of lives and livelihoods remains his foremost responsibility.
“We are here to carry out an action that is in the best interest of our people. What I have sworn to do is to protect the lives and livelihoods of my people, and as such, I will always work to secure my people.
“This is not new. We already made it clear that any house being used to harbour criminals will go down. These are proactive measures to curb criminality in Kogi State,” he said.
The governor expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for his continued support in strengthening security across the state.
“I sincerely appreciate my leader, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for the support he is giving us and for the service he is rendering to ensure that our state is secured from criminal activities that some of our people unfortunately encourage,” he said.
According to the governor, investigations revealed that the demolished properties belong to the government but were illegally taken over and converted into criminal operational bases.
“This demolition you are seeing here today is to give our people the needed security they deserve. We discovered that criminals have taken over this property, and when we realised that their activities were giving our people unrest, we had to take a bold decision,” Ododo explained.
He issued a stern warning to criminals and their collaborators, vowing that his administration would show no tolerance for crime in any part of the state.
“I will never negotiate with any criminal. We will take the fight to them anywhere they are. If you harbour criminals, your house will go down. If you keep criminals, your house will go down,” he said.
Governor Ododo reiterated that Kogi State will not serve as a safe haven for criminals, stressing that peace and security remain central to the development agenda of his administration.
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