Yahaya Bello: How Kogi Escaped a Dangerous Future »

By Abdul Mohammed Lawal.

Whenever I see people discuss banditry attacks in parts of North Central Nigeria and, more recently, the South-West, I often smile before saying anything. It may seem strange given the seriousness of the issue, but there is a reason for that smile. The name that immediately comes to mind and causes that smile is “Alhaji Yahaya Bello, CON, and how he changed what could have become the story of Kogi when fate handed him the responsibility of leading the state.

While the death of the biggest political figure in Kogi State and Igalaland left a wound that many still feel years later, something else was happening in the background. Perhaps fate had reserved a particular task for an Ebira son, one that someone from another part of the state might not have been able to undertake in the same way at that moment in history.

Between 2014 and 2015, reports frequently suggested that terrorists, insurgents, and other criminal elements had found refuge in the hills, forests, and remote communities of Kogi Central. Stories circulated about wanted extremists using parts of the state as safe havens, where they could hide from security agencies, recruit vulnerable young people, and move in and out of different parts of the country with little attention.

The situation became so concerning that reports emerged alleging the existence of criminal detention facilities and operational camps in parts of Kogi Central. Security concerns also grew over claims that some criminal groups were establishing logistical bases and operational networks within the state.

Whether by design or circumstance, Kogi was gradually becoming attractive to dangerous elements seeking a strategic location from which to operate.

The threat was real.

Then, in 2015, Yahaya Bello became governor, and the state’s approach to security changed significantly.

His philosophy was that criminals should not be negotiated with but confronted within the boundaries of the law. Under his administration, security operations intensified across many troubled areas. Criminal camps were dismantled, suspected hideouts were raided, and numerous arrests were made as security agencies increased their activities throughout the state.

Many communities that had lived under fear began to experience a return to normal life. And that was the “GYB Standard.”

One aspect of that period that often goes unnoticed is the political sensitivity of those operations. Had similar actions been carried out by a governor from another part of the state, some people might have interpreted them through an ethnic lens. However, Bello appeared determined to demonstrate that Kogi State would not become a sanctuary for criminality, regardless of where such elements came from.

For many residents of Kogi Central, those efforts restored a sense of confidence and security.

This background also helps explain why some people were not surprised by reports that Bello was uncomfortable with approaches by North Central leaders that appeared to involve negotiating with violent criminal groups. Criminality, in his view, should be confronted rather than accommodated.

Between 2016 and 2023, whenever I watched him accompany security personnel into difficult terrain and operational areas, I often wondered how a sitting governor found the time and courage to be so visibly involved in security matters. Most chief executives prefer to coordinate from their offices. But Bello often projected a different image as he led from the front line.

Every time I reflected on those moments, I arrived at the same conclusion:

“That is what makes him Alhaji Yahaya Bello.”

One of the security successes that remains particularly memorable to me was the improvement in safety along the Lokoja-Abuja highway. There was a period when many travellers approached that road with fear because of kidnapping incidents and criminal attacks. But Bello changed the tactics from what was seen as normal and pushed criminal elements away from key flashpoints. Areas that had once served as hideouts increasingly became locations from which security personnel could monitor and secure the corridor.

Today, many commuters use that route without remembering just how dangerous it once was.

That is the “Yahaya Bello that I know.”

It is one of the reasons I am excited whenever discussions arise about the possibility of him continuing his public service journey as a Senator.

Some of us would even like to see a determined and fearless leader like Yahaya Bello given greater responsibilities in the nation’s security structure, either as NSA or Minister of Defence. Such roles would come with difficult decisions and serious challenges, but his supporters believe he has the courage and determination to face them.

That belief is what makes many people continue to see him as a leader whose story is still far from finished.