A number of ex-South-West governors have thrown their weight behind Operation Amotekun, declaring that the new security outfit is an answer to the yearnings of the people of the region.
According to them, many lives have been lost due to a spate of killings, robberies and other criminal activities in the zone.
This came as pressure continues to mount on South-West governors to jettison the regional security initiative following the Federal Government’s declaration that the outfit was illegal.
Following a series of killings and kidnappings allegedly by Fulani herdsmen last year, the South-West governors at a summit convened by the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria in June agreed to set up Operation Amotekun.
On January 9, the governors inaugurated the outfit consisting of members of the Oodua Peoples Congress, Agbekoya, vigilante groups and hunters.
Nobel laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, and groups, including Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, and Southern Kaduna Peoples Union, lauded the governors for setting up the outfit.
However, the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, on Tuesday said the outfit was illegal, saying security could only be provided by the Federal Government.
The AGF in a statement said, “The setting up of the paramilitary organisation called Amotekun is illegal and runs contrary to the provisions of the Nigerian law.
“The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) has established the Army, Navy and Air Force, the Police and other numerous paramilitary organisations for the purpose of the defence of Nigeria.
“As a consequence of this, no state government, whether singly or in a group, has the legal right and competence to establish any form of organisation or agency for the defence of Nigeria or any of its constituent parts.
“The law will take its natural course in relation to excesses associated with organisation, administration and participation in Amotekun or continuous association with it as an association.”
But on Friday, ex-governors Adebayo Alao-Akala (Oyo), Gbenga Daniel (Ogun), Segun Mimiko (Ondo) and Segun Oni (Ekiti) as well as Cornelius Adebayo (Kwara) expressed their anger at Malami’s statement and warned the Federal Government against supporting criminals terrorising the South-West.
While backing the serving governors for the community policing initiative, the former governors in separate interviews with Saturday PUNCH urged the six South-West states to go to court should the Federal Government insist on stopping the outfit.
According to them, there is no better time to establish a regional security outfit that will support the conventional security agencies to check the rising security challenges facing the region.
Alao-Akala, Daniel, Mimiko, Oni and Adebayo said South-West governors must not yield to pressure to drop the initiative.
Credit: punchng.com
