Lagos-based management consultancy expert and Asiwaju of Odo-Eri Land in Kogi State, Chief Funsho Davies Owoyemi, has expressed his approval of the newly established military Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Egbe, Kogi State.
He described this initiative as a crucial step forward in enhancing local security measures. Owoyemi is optimistic that the new base will strengthen security agencies’ abilities to tackle banditry, kidnapping, and other criminal activities that have affected the region.
The FOB, located on the outskirts of Egbe in the Yagba West Local Government Area (LGA), boasts a 94-bed twin hostel, accommodations for the base commander, an officers’ mess, and two new Hilux vans, among various other amenities. The facility was built by Senator Sunday Karimi, who represents the Kogi West Senatorial Zone, to assist security forces in combating criminal threats, particularly in the forests bordering Kwara, Kogi, Ekiti, and Niger States. The base was officially handed over to the Nigerian Army during the Egbe Unity Day celebrations last weekend.
Owoyemi, a respected elder in Okunland and former leader of the now-defunct Okun New Initiative (ONI), praised Senator Karimi for this commendable initiative. He highlighted that the FOB would significantly improve safety for residents and travellers, particularly farmers in the area. He called on the Nigerian Army to promptly take control of the facility and effectively deploy personnel and equipment to ensure security in the region.
