VIDEO: OKUN HUNTERS MEET TO COMBAT KIDNAPPING, BANDITRY IN KOGI STATE

Hunters from Okunland in Kogi State gathered at a meeting in Isanlu, headquarters of Yagba East, to discuss traditional interventions in mitigating kidnapping, banditry, and killings in the six Okun-speaking Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state. The meeting was attended by hunters from the Oodua Family, comprising representatives from Nigeria’s Western states of Osun, Ondo, Oyo, Ekiti, and Kwara in the North Central.
The aim of the meeting is to prospect collaboration between these Yoruba-speaking entities in fighting crime in the sprawling Yoruba country. The Oodua Family has affiliations with Yoruba states and districts in Benin Republic and Togo.

In a symbolic gesture, the meeting began with the appeasement of Ogun, the god of iron, with a live mongrel. Ogun is revered as the purveyor of the metal with which guns and bullets are made.
The meeting highlights the efforts of traditional groups in combating crime and promoting security in the region. By drawing on their primordial and spiritual approaches to managing criminality, the hunters aim to develop effective strategies to tackle the menace of kidnapping and banditry in Okunland and beyond.