Ondo State governor and chairman, Western Governors’ Forum, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, at the weekend disclosed that operatives of the Amotekun Corps will not be attached to very important personalities, politicians and religious centres.
Akeredolu reiterated that the security outfit popularly known as Operation Amotekun was exclusively created to tackle criminal activities in the South-West.
The House of Assembly in each of the six South West states last week began moves to pass the bill establishing the corps following a meeting between the governors, Vice-President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo; the AGF and the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, conceptualising Amotekun within the community policing model.
Akeredolu who spoke through his Special Adviser on Security Matters, Alhaji Jimoh Dojumo, said the outfit would key into the model aimed at tackling criminal activities.
He said: “We are not attaching the Amotekun corps to anybody or groups, no matter how highly placed. They are to tackle criminal activities such as armed robbery and kidnapping. They won’t be attached to any religious centre, either church or mosque. We don’t want it to be used for political reasons.”
He, however, stated that the corps would work with the conventional security agencies – the police, the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, amongst others.
According to him, the security agencies, particularly the police would be involved in the training of the corps personnel.
“We are together with the security agencies and the community police. We will work together since it is a matter of security,” he said.
The governor added that there would be a regional commander who would oversee the activities of the six state commanders of the corps, adding that there would be a central database for all the personnel of the security outfit in the region.
