KAGOTE Raises N5m Bounty to Flush Out Illegal Guns, Calls for Unity in Ogoni

The Leadership of the Ogoni Apex Sociocultural Organisation, KAGOTE, in collaboration with political leaders, traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth representatives and other key stakeholders, has called for a united and urgent response to insecurity, youth factionalism, land disputes, poor educational development and other challenges confronting Ogoniland.

The call was made on Saturday, August 8, 2026, during an extraordinary meeting of Ogoni stakeholders held at the Khana Local Government Council Secretariat in Bori, the traditional headquarters of the Ogoni people.

The meeting, convened by the President of KAGOTE and Chief Executive Officer of Giolee Global Resources Limited, Chief Lesi Maol, attracted prominent stakeholders from the four Ogoni local government areas of Khana, Gokana, Tai and Eleme.

Maol said the gathering was not intended to create another avenue for political disagreements, but rather to provide a platform for Ogoni leaders and stakeholders to collectively address issues affecting the region.
He noted that the large turnout reflected the willingness of the people to work together towards finding lasting solutions to the challenges confronting Ogoni.

“All the happenings around Ogoni affect all of us. We said we should take the lead by inviting all the political leaders, traditional leadership, the clergy and critical stakeholders. Everybody that is important in Ogoni is here.”

According to Maol, over 90 per cent of the invited stakeholders attended the meeting, which he described as a clear indication that Ogoni leaders were prepared to begin a new conversation focused on finding solutions rather than trading accusations and insults.
He expressed concern that some Ogoni people were increasingly directing their energy towards attacking one another and their leaders instead of addressing pressing issues such as insecurity, education, employment, development and unity.

Maol urged the people to move beyond what he described as “noise-making” and concentrate on issues capable of improving the living conditions and future prospects of Ogoni communities.
Insecurity was one of the major concerns discussed at the meeting, particularly reports of killings allegedly linked to herders and other criminal elements operating in parts of Ogoniland.

The KAGOTE president disclosed that the organisation had commenced dialogue with the leadership of the Fulani community in an effort to understand the reasons behind the deterioration of relations between the two groups.
He explained that the engagement was intended to identify a peaceful way forward while protecting the security, lives and rights of Ogoni communities.

“We formed a committee, and the committee met with the leadership of the Fulani community to find out why, before today, they used to come and graze their cows here and go back peacefully, but now it is entering into death,” he said.

Maol called on Ogoni leaders and stakeholders to support the dialogue, stressing that achieving lasting peace required the collective involvement of the entire community.
He also condemned the increasing spread of violence and criminal activities in Ogoni, noting that such developments were contrary to the culture and traditions of the people.

“This is not our culture. This is not our tradition,” he declared.

In a major step aimed at tackling the proliferation of firearms and violence in the area, Maol announced a N5 million bounty for credible information that could lead to the recovery of illegal firearms and the arrest of individuals using them to perpetrate violence in Ogoni.
He said the initiative was designed to “mop the guns out of Ogoni” and restore peace and confidence among residents.

“Any useful information to anyone with any gun that we can arrest, I’ll pay N5 million. It’s time to mop the guns out of Ogoni. We must live peacefully,” Maol said.

He further announced another N5 million bounty for credible information that could lead to the identification and arrest of those responsible for recent violent attacks in Ogoni.