Kogi: 12 Brigade Pledges Sustained Onslaught Against Bandits

By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja

The Commander, 12 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Brigadier General Kasim Umar-Sidi, has reaffirmed the military’s commitment to sustaining its onslaught against bandits and criminal elements terrorising parts of Kogi State, to ensure lasting peace and security.
Brig.-Gen. Umar-Sidi gave the assurance when members of the Executive Council of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kogi State Council, paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Lokoja.
“We will do our best to keep Kogi safe by ensuring that bandits terrorising the state are dealt with,” he said, urging Nigerians to support security agencies in fulfilling their constitutional responsibilities.
The Commander decried the growing trend of branding Nigeria as a “disgraced nation” over its security challenges, saying such negative narratives demoralise troops who daily risk their lives to defend the country.
“Our officers and men are being killed in the line of duty. Any negative report or perception dampens their morale,” he noted, warning against viewing national issues through ethnic or religious lenses.
Umar-Sidi, who is the fifth Commander of the 12 Brigade, urged citizens to unite and proffer solutions to national challenges, stressing that “Nigeria belongs to all of us, and we must place national interest above personal or sectional concerns.”
He commended the Correspondents’ Chapel for the visit and pledged continued collaboration, particularly in providing access to information and coverage of the Brigade’s operations and civic engagements.
Earlier, the Chapel Chairman, Comrade Segun Ademola Salami of Channels Television, said the visit was aimed at strengthening partnership between the media and the military for accurate information dissemination.
Salami commended the Brigade’s role in combating kidnappers and bandits in Kogi, assuring that the Chapel would continue to highlight the military’s achievements and promote constructive reportage.