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Governor Yahaya Bello of the state of Kogi. Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi has said the spate of kidnappings in the state has been minimized. He stated this on Saturday at the 2020 Senate Press Corps Retreat, held in Lokoja, Kogi, with the theme “Democracy and development in a federation: Roles of the media, states and parliaments.” In declaring the event open, Governor Bello, who was represented by his deputy David Onoja, said that before the emergence of the current administration in the state in 2016, “Kogi was designated as the kidnapping capital of Nigeria.” “Our roads were littered with almost weekly incidents of armed robbery, especially overnight commuters in luxury buses. “Four years and nine months have passed later, although we have not been able to completely eradicate kidnappings, the numbers have been drastically reduced to a minimum. “And robberies on the roads, robberies from banks are becoming things that are in our history books rather than what we experience. “We are doing everything we can to combat insecurity in Kogi and make sure life and property are secured,” he said.

On the flood ravaging the state, Bello assured the people of Kogi and Nigerians that “while we may not be able to stop the flood, we will prevent as many lives as possible from accompanying the threat.” “That is our focus, that is our goal, that is what we will achieve by the grace of God.” According to him, part of the achievements recorded so far in the state are bold steps to reform the civil service and pension system. “Today, it is no longer he who knows who but by merits and your ability to serve selflessly.

“The leaks and fraud that were endemic in the Kogi state civil service prior to 2016 are becoming a thing of history,” he said. Also speaking, the Information and Communications Commissioner, Mr. Kingsley Fanwo, said that part of the state government’s efforts to fight insecurity was the acquisition of 200 patrol vans for security agents in the state. “The proceeds of the kidnappings were destroyed;

the governor had said that he would not negotiate with any criminal. “You don’t negotiate with criminals, you deal with them. That is what the governor did and that should be an example for this nation, “said Fanwo. In his message of goodwill, Senator Smart Adeyemi (APC-Kogi) urged participants that when interacting with politicians, they should try to be guided by social and professional responsibility. “Social and professional responsibility are intertwined; they intertwine, but there is still a fine line between the two.


“They cannot be condemned (social and professional responsibility). Our social responsibility, on the one hand, and our professional responsibility to report things, but in doing so, we must have the right facts. “ Adeyemi also said that for democracy to prosper in the country, there must be freedom of information.

“There can be no freedom of the press when journalists are not paid, when there is no future in the profession. “We can say that there is freedom of the press when every journalist is proud of his profession because he can pay his bills and can live a decent life.”