Akeredolu, Makinde, Fayemi react on ‘Amotekun’ illegal as Tinubu godsons governors silent
Three Bola Tinubu godsons; Dapo Abiodun, Gboyega Oyetola and Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governors of Ogun, Osun and Lagos state respectively, were yet to react to the Federal Government’s declaration of Western Nigeria Security Network (WNSN) Operation Amotekun as illegal.
Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami said the power over security exclusively belonged to the Federal Government. He said no part of the federation could “singly or jointly” take security measure.
Malami warned that the law would take its course on any group or association linked with Operation Amotekun.
But on Wednesday, Chairman of the Southwest Governors Forum, Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, said his colleagues in the region were prepared to pursue Operation Amotekun to a successful end.
Lagos, Oyo, Ondo, Ogun, Osun and Ekiti states jointly inaugurated the security outfit on January 9 to secure the zone from criminality.
Akeredolu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) gave the assurance that the Southwest region was committed to checking banditry, kidnapping, farmers and herders clashes, among other forms of criminal activities.
Akeredolu who said “Amotekun is not a para-military outfit,” noted that the introduction of the security outfit is merely to complement the efforts of other security agencies.
Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, who spoke to reporters in Abeokuta after a visit to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, said: I don’t think the AGF will just wake up and make his own laws.
”He may interpret and advise the President on legal issues but, I haven’t seen anything that gave that power to the AGF to make that declaration.
“You don’t run government on the social media. I am only reading about the Federal Government’s action on Amotekun on the social media like every other person, but If I see a letter or I get a call from the AGF telling me all those things, then it will be a different type of reaction from me.
”If you listen to my speech that day (of the inauguration of Amotekun), I did say that the outfit is complementary to the efforts of the Nigerian Police and other security agencies.
”In Oyo State, the government is placed on four major pillars. They are education, health, security and then expansion of our economy through agribusiness.
”So, security is a major pillar for us and we believe that we cannot have any development in an atmosphere that is not secured.”
Ekiti Governor Dr Kayode Fayemi has said the southwest security outfit code named ‘Operation Amotekun’ is a logical end product of President Muhammadu Buhari’s compelling vision on community policing.
Fayemi, who defended establishment of Amotekun, said it is in line with community policing or multi-layered policing, which is very effective in safety and crime prevention.
The governor insisted that the police authorities were involved in the setting up of the outfit.
The vision, he said, was designed to complement efforts of the established security agencies in meeting challenges of insecurity in the region.
According to a statement by his media aide in Ado-Ekiti on Thursday, Fayemi spoke while delivering a paper at the Daily Trust Dialogue titled: Twenty years of Democratisation in Nigeria: Strengths, weaknesses and opportunities in Abuja.
He said that current debate about the legality/ desirability or otherwise of the security outfit is a healthy national conversation about how to make Nigeria safer and more secured.
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