The unending Staff Screening and Verification exercise in Kogi today took enormous toll on the workers as unknown gunmen abducted four local government workers along Kabba obajana road. The victims were on their way from Mopamuro LG to lokoja, the state Capital for the appeal committee’s screening

The incident which happened on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively has the (HOD) works ,Mr Olu Abraham, fehintola Osho and Balogun Blessing who were all workers of Mopa Muro local government Areas of the state. The issue attracted members of the House of Assembly, where it formed critical part of deliberations on Wednesday.

Moving a motion on the floor of the house, Wednesday, the member representing Mopa -Muro constituency Honourable obaro Sunday Pedro observed that the problems of insecurity in the state has continued to escalate at alarming rate despite the huge investment by the present government in the sector.

Honourable Obaro observed the bad nature of obajana Kabba road stressing that, it has now become a hideout for the kidnappers since they can easily escape from the security agents the moment they commit such crime, due to the rough terrain.

According to him, ” just yesterday in broad day light, the HOD works of Mopa Muro local government area while on her way to lokoja to collect her statement of account with Access Bank over the ongoing screening exercise fell into the hand of kidnappers and her destination is presently not known.”

“this morning, around 9:45am along the Same Kabba obajana, I was informed that three staff members of mopa Moro local government area were Kidnaped, the driver and my personal assistant who were eye witness narrowly escaped”

Condemning this development, members in their contributions agreed that the state government should deploy sufficient security personnel along obajana Kabba road and also ensure a 24 hours patrol along other roads within the state especially this period of screening exercise.

The house also directed the House Committee on security and judiciary to liaise with the kogi state Commissioner of police Abdullahi chafe to work out proactive measures to tackle the insecurity in the state.

In a related development, early this week reports say that lecturers and other employees of the Kogi State College of Education, Ankpa, who were recently declared ‘ghost workers’ by the Staff Audit Committee of the state government were dispossessed of their original certificates by armed men.

The lecturers were on their way to Lokoja to appeal their sack with the 32-member Staff Screening Complaints/Appeal Committee set up by the state government to entertain complaints arising from the staff audit when they were waylaid by armed men in Ankpa Local Council, Ojogobi.

The screening exercise has lasted nearly one year duration with the end not yet anticipated.