A factional Pan-Yoruba group, Afenifere on Tuesday described Amotekun Security outfit as a battle won against the ‘imperial’ Federal Government by the strong will of West and freedom-loving friends across Nigeria.
Besides,the group in a communique after its regular meeting held in Sure, the Ondo state capital expressed disgust with the Nigerian Police Force(NPF) that almost seven months after the murder of its Leader’s daughter,Late Funke Olakunrin, the police has stopped any form of investigation into the dastardly act without any briefing to the family.
It said” We are left with no option at this stage than to conclude that she was a victim of political assassination necessitating state cover-up.
Afenifere challenged the police to do its job on the matter in spite of their disappointment with them.
The group also invoked her spirit to remain restless until the killers and masterminds of her death are exposed and brought before the temple of Justice.
The meeting noted that but for the depth of despair unitary rule has sunk Nigeria, States having security guards should not have been any issue as the 1999 constitution recognizes the right of state to protect lives and property and “State” does not mean only Federal Government but states and Local Governments.
According to the communique, only carpenters posing as lawyers would ever say that security is on any exclusive list as there is no law that stops individuals from securing their premises talk less of state actors.
“The jejune argument by spokesmen of our tormentors that the Federal Government has failed to protect us against, that having a security outfit that cuts across states is unacceptable was seen as a non-sequitur as Yoruba are a homogenous group once under a region before Nigeria broke into states”.
The group pointed out that Yoruba would find it hard to oppose Amotekun in any other part of Nigeria if it owns Hisbah, Lafiya Dole and harbors Boko Haram and Miyetti Allah that are tormenting the country and making President Trump to consider placing Nigeria on travel ban.
It rejected any attempt to subsume Amotekun under the Community Policing scheme of the Federal Government which the group claimed was just being informants to the Nigerian police.
Afenifere maintained that Amotekun should be independent in carrying out the security of residents of South West with defined operational cooperation with the police but not its subordinate.
“While Amotekun has now come to stay there must be no let or hindrance in the pursuit of a federal Nigeria so we can revert to the multi-level policing status of Nigeria of the past which saw the Nigerian Railway corporation having its own police.
“In this regard, we are happy with the Senate President, Senator Ahmed Lawan declaration of support for issues in Federalism especially multi-level policing and we enjoin the National Assembly to see it as the urgent business of now”
The group hailed the South West Governors for standing firm on Yoruba consensus on Amotekun without blinking.
It equally appreciated other groups such as Ohaneze, PANDEF and Middle Belt Forum for standing solidly with the project as well as Prof Wole Soyinka,Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), Alhaji Abubakar Atiku, Prof Itse Sagay(SAN), Femi Falana, and others.
The communique also condemned in the strongest terms the lawlessness in Oyo State over local council dissolution.
