Crises, wars and protests recorded for this state — grouped by era.
Pre-colonial & colonial (pre-1960)#Deep dive →
- 17th–18th c. — Igala–Benin wars (Inikpi sacrifice tradition); Igala–Jukun tributary wars.
- Late 19th c. — Nupe raids into Okun-Yoruba (Yagba, Bunu) for slaves.
- 1 January 1900 — Lugard proclaims Northern Protectorate at Lokoja.
- 1903–10 — Nupe revolt at Bida partially affects northern Kogi.
First Republic & Civil War (1960–1970)#Deep dive →
- 1966 pogroms — Lokoja is a transit point for Igbo refugees returning from the North to the East; sporadic violence.
- 1967–70 — Biafra War: the Niger-Benue confluence is the strategic axis of the federal counter-offensive; Lokoja becomes a major federal logistics base.
Second Republic & military era (1979–1999)#Deep dive →
- 1979 — Ajaokuta Steel commissioned. By 2026 still uncompleted at a cumulative cost of $8 billion+. See Ajaokuta Steel.
- 1981 — Bassa-Komo / Nupe communal clashes at Lokoja over fishing and farmland.
- 1991 — state creation tensions: the question of which group (Igala, Ebira, Okun-Yoruba) gets the governorship dominates politics from inception.
Fourth Republic — Obasanjo, Yar'Adua, Jonathan (1999–2015)#Deep dive →
- 1999 — Audu Abubakar (Igala) becomes first elected Kogi governor.
- 2002, 2008, 2014 — Ebira-Tao internal conflicts at Okene (Adavi, Ozuwaya quarters) — chieftaincy and electoral disputes; hundreds dead cumulatively.
- 2015 November — Prince Abubakar Audu dies during the gubernatorial election while leading the count. INEC declares the election "inconclusive"; APC substitutes Yahaya Bello (Ebira). The "Audu/Bello supplementary" sets the controversial post-2015 INEC precedent on candidate substitution.
Buhari II (2015–2023)#Deep dive →
- Yahaya Bello tenure (2016–2024) marked by personalised politics, large unaudited security votes, alleged kidnap of opposition figures.Northern Abandonment Cycle
- 2018 — Boko Haram bombing of Lokoja motor park; 2 killed.Northern Abandonment Cycle
- 2019 — Natasha Akpoti–Bello rivalry (the senator from Kogi Central) begins; runs through to 2024 suspension drama.
- 2022 — banditry from Niger/Zamfara reaches northern Kogi (Kabba-Bunu).Northern Abandonment Cycle
- 2023 — disputed 11 November gubernatorial election (Usman Ododo declared winner); Sen. Dino Melaye and others challenge in court.
Tinubu (2023–2026)#Deep dive →
- 2024 — Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan elected Senator (Kogi Central); subsequent suspension by Senate (2025) becomes national gender-politics flashpoint.
- August 2024 — #EndBadGovernance protests; Lokoja and Okene record small turnouts.
- 2024–2026 — Ajaokuta Steel remains uncompleted; intermittent federal "concession" announcements continue.