Kpong Community Raises SOS, Khana LG Boss Leads Security Team in Prompt Response
A tense security situation in Kpong Community, Khana Local Government Area in the early hours of Friday, August 14, 2026, had left the leadership of the community and other stakeholders with no choice other than make an SOS visit to the Local Government Chairman, Thomas Bariere.
The distress call had prompted the LG Chief Security Officer to personally mobilize a team of security personnel and move to the community, a gesture being described by many observers as a kind of leading by example.
Meanwhile, Bariere has ordered a team of security agencies to Kpong Community in order to intensify surveillance and response operations following growing concerns over the reported cult-related violence and other security challenges affecting residents.
The Council Chairman, while in the community, appealed to residents to provide credible and discreet information on individuals allegedly involved in cultism, armed violence and other criminal activities, stressing that effective security operations depend largely on timely intelligence from eyewitnesses.
Bariere particularly charged various leadership hierarchies, youth leaders, CDC chairmen, chiefs and other community stakeholders, to take greater responsibility for security by working closely with security agencies and providing useful information that would help prevent attacks.
“The security of this place is in your hands. If you see any civilian carrying arms, call me or any of the security agencies. Give us the information without disclosing your identity,” Bariere advised.
He assured law-abiding residents that the increased security presence was intended to protect them, urging them to continue with their lawful activities without fear.
“This is a wake-up call. Everybody should come back home. You will be seeing security personnel around from time to time. If you are innocent, nobody is looking for you; go about your normal business,” he stated.
Though his presence was greeted with relative calm in the the community and its environs, the Khana Chief Executive noted that his administration would seek a permanent solution to the long-standing boundary dispute between Kpong and Luusue-Sogho communities.
He disclosed the strategy as initiating a Joint Process involving security personnel, representatives of both communities, and delegated traditional rulers from other communities, recounting his previous, personal intervention in the Luusue-Sogho boundary controversy.
The proposed process, according to him, would involve physically inspecting the disputed area, listening to both sides and clearly identifying the portion of land in contention whether the space could be secured for the installation of security infrastructure in the area.
Finally, Bariere urged the people of Kpong to cooperate with security operatives, warning that communities that tolerate or harbour cultists eventually suffer the consequences.
