Leader of  Agojeju-Odo community in Kogi State, Elias Atabor, has urged the Federal Government to establish a military base in the Omala Local Government Area to checkmate bandits’ incessant attacks on the people.

Mr Atabor made the plea in an interview with journalists in Lokoja on Friday.

He said, “We are so worried that the death toll keeps rising by the hour.’’

The community leader made the call when it was discovered that the death toll of Thursday’s attack on the Kogi community attack has risen to 25 from 19, 

The figure included four children while several persons were being hospitalised.

But the Special Adviser on Security to Governor Usman Ododo, retired Commodore Jerry Omodara, said the death toll was 21. 

Mr Atabor said, “We plead with the Federal Government to bring a military base to our community to help us to checkmate the incessant attacks in our communities in Omala LGA.

“Thursday’s attack is the second in less than three months this year alone. The first was on January 29 when four persons were killed by bandits. We cannot continue dying like fowls in our own community. Agojeju-Odo is our ancestral home and we have no other place to go beside it. Many of our people are still missing and we keep discovering more corpses. It’s painful and worrying. Government should come to our aid and save us before bandits, who are sophisticatedly armed wipe us out from this earth.”

The leader said that the communities, Agojeju-Odo, Ajokpachi-Odo and Bagaji had become ghost towns with no economic activity going on due to the attacks.

According to him, their children cannot have the desired education because virtually all the schools in those communities are closed down.

He expressed gratitude to Mr Ododo and the security operatives for their immediate response by deploying operatives to the troubled communities..

Also, a community stakeholder, Ademu Ibrahim, urged President Bola Tinubu and Mr Ododo to assist the communities’ members with some relief materials, having lost their farm produce to the bandits.

He described the attacks as “wicked and unacceptable,” considering the way and manners the bandits were killing the people.

Mr Ibrahim said there had been a running battle between militia groups in parts of Benue and some bandits, which led to the onslaught on the quiet towns of Agojeju-Odo, Ajokpachi-Odo, Bagaji and environs.

According to him, the bandits have destroyed farm produce with ease in an attempt to draw the communities into the conflict.

Nineteen 19 persons were killed and several others injured during Thursday’s broad day light bandits attack on Agojeju-Odo community in the Omala Local Government Area of Kogi State. 

(NAN)