Support for the Western Nigeria Security Network (WNSN) codenamed Operation Amotekun grew on Friday despite its declaration as illegal by the federal government.
Several traditional rulers in Ekiti, Osun and Ondo states backed the initiative.
Similar support came from the Coalition of Oodua Self-determination Group (COSEG), another coalition of 18 groups across the Southwest, and a Tiv leader in Benue State, Chief Edward Ujege.
The Chairman of the Ekiti State Council of Traditional Rulers and Alawe of Ilawe-Ekiti, Oba Adebanji Alabi, faulted the statement credited to the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, in which the minister claimed Operation Amotekun runs contrary to the provisions of the Nigerian law.
Oba Adebanji said Malami’s statement was ill-defined, ill-motivated and an afterthought.
The monarch argued that the South West governors who initiated the move only responded to the agitations of their people for improved security.
He said: “The action of the AGF is very hasty. The SouthWest governors didn’t just wake up and establish Operation Amotekun. I don’t know what is unconstitutional in this matter. I am sure that Malami doesn’t even have the blueprint of how Amotekun will undertake its assignment.
“The only people who should be afraid of Amotekun are the bandits, kidnappers, rapists and other criminal elements in our society. Why the Minister of Justice? So, I would rather advise the matter is not allowed to fester or create problem among the various zones.”
Also responding, the Onikun of Ikun in Ekiti State, Oba Olatunde David Olusola, said that governors as the Chief Security Officers of their states are constitutionally right to take measures that will guarantee protection of lives and property.
He said their initiative on Operation Amotekun was not only in line with the 1999 constitution, but also international conventions and charters.
“As far as I am concerned, Malami is only speaking to the air. The governors have a responsibility to preserve the lives and property of the people,” he said.
“The South West governors have done the right thing. They have the support of the people. You can see everybody is speaking because they are doing a good thing for the first time as a body of SouthWest governors.
A lawyer, Mr Yemi Ayodele -Ayeni, said: “From a legal mind, this is a security outfit not a police force. It would have been a fragrant contradiction to Section 214 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) if it had been called a police force. Sub section 1 of this Section provides that “there shall be a police force for Nigeria, which shall be known as the Nigeria Police Force, and subject to the provisions of this section no other police force shall be established for the Federation or any part thereof”.
“Sub section 2 (a and c) of this section emphasises the provisions as a competence of the National Assembly under Exclusive list which means no state or region can legislate upon.
“If Amotekun is not designed to be called police, it has not contradicted the constitution of the country and they are good to go. The governors have an obligation to protect their people.”
Three Osun monarchs want FG to reverse declaration of Amotekun as illegal
Three traditional rulers in Osun State asked the Federal Government to reverse itself on the declaration of Operation Amotekun as illegal.
Speaking by the phone from his palace, the Olufi of Gbogan in the Ayedade Local Government Area, Oba Adetoye Oyeniyi, said reversing the declaration is necessary.
He said the launch of Operation Amotekun was to support the Federal Government combat crimes, particularly banditry, kidnappings and others in the geo-political zone.
Oba Oyeniyi said the use of local security is not peculiar to South West, and, therefore, the FG should not create the impression that it is not ready to secure lives and property in the South West
The Aragbiji of Iragbiji in the Boripe Local Government Area of the state, Oba Abdul-Rasheed Olabomi, described Malami’s pronouncement as provocative.
He advised the FG to allow the experiment of the South West governors through Amotekun to secure their states and encourage replication of the initiative in other geo-political zones.
The Olufon of Ifon-Orolu Kingdom in the Orolu Local Governemnt Area, Oba Adekunle Magbagbeola, said the FG has dashed the hope of Nigerians in the South West with its stand on the launch of Amotekun by the governors in the zone.
According to the monarch, nothing could be gratifying than for the FG to reverse self and support the initiative.
He said that the declaration of the security outfit as illegal by the Federal Government would only embolden criminals to continue their criminal activities unabated.
Ondo oba too
The Akala of Ikaram-Akoko in Ondo State, Oba Andrew Momodu and Onigedegede of Gedegede also in the state, Oba Walidu Sanni, described Operation Amotekun as an initiative deserving the support of everyone.
Oba Momodu, a security expert and retired Naval Commodore, said that Operation Amotekun was a child of circumstance designed to rescue South West from various security challenges like kidnapping, robbery and others.
The traditional ruler said that operations of the security outfit are those who understand the local terrain.
On his part, the Onigedegede of Gedegede, Oba Sanni, said Amotekun has the potential of checking crimes in the South West.
The monarch, who was hospitalized for almost one week following injuries he sustained when suspected herdsmen attacked him in his palace, stressed that the idea should be pursued to logical conclusion.
18 Yoruba groups, Oyo ALGON declare support for SW governors
Eighteen Yoruba groups, under the aegis of the Egbe Ifokanbale Ile Yoruba which is a branch of the Prof Banji Akintoye–led Yoruba World Congress, hailed the launch of the WNSN.
The group made its stand known during the 20th posthumous celebration of a chieftain of National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), Ola Oni, held at the Western House, Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan.
A social activist, Laoye Sanda, who spoke on behalf of Egbe Ifokanbale Ile Yoruba, said the group was ”fully in support of Amotekun. The fact has been made that Amotekun is not an authentic police as such. But it is to help in terms of security issues and intelligence gathering.
“If Operation Amotekun is illegal, the president would have called the whole hierarchy of the All Progressives Congress to call the South West APC governors to order because APC is controlling five of the six states in the region, while the Peoples Democratic Party is controlling only one.”
The Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) in Oyo State under the leadership of Prince Ayodeji Abass-Aleshinloye also declared support for the governors on the regional security outfit.
It said: “ALGON Oyo State supports Amotekun as we have been doing to create and support any move to address meaningfully the security of life and property as this is the fundamental objective and duty of government at all levels because without security there cannot be governance or development
“We, however, wish to appeal to South West governors to subject the Operation Amotekun to democratic control and management of communities and local government authorities as elected representatives of the grassroots for Amotekun not to be abused and misused.
“The governors should also look at all genuine complaints and suggestions to make Amotekun generally acceptable to achieve its set goal of providing complementary security to all. ALGON Oyo State will soon set up a technical committee to study the situation and make recommendations to the governors on it.”
Kwara group condemns Malami
The Coalition of Oodua Self-determination Group (COSEG) described the declaration of Operation Amotekun illegal as a direct call for anarchy.
Leaders of the coalition, Taiwo Otitolaye and Razaq Olokoba, said the minister’s position ”reflects a publicly orchestrated conspiracy to undermine the collective safety of the Yoruba people and their land.”
They said the South West governors should “not give in to conspiracy and deliberate attempt to scuttle their noble actions.
“You have acted in line with UN Resolution Article 51. Under customary law, anticipatory self-defence is permissible when the threat of an armed attack is ‘imminent’. The charter codifies the pre-existing customary rule of self-defence. The intention of Article 51 makes anticipatory self-defence a statutory right, not to limit it.
“The Nigerian security system has demonstrated that it has no answer to the recurring kidnapping, rape of our women, killing of farmers, and other societal ills that ravage our land, hence Amotekun was even long overdue.
“We salute the courage of our governors and ask that they stand firm. We have already commenced the mobilisation and sensitisation of the entire Yoruba nation to support their efforts.”
Federal Government should swallow its pride and accept Amotekun, says Ujege
The President General of Mzough-U-Tiv (MUT), a Tiv socio-cultural organisation, Chief Edward Ujege, has advised the federal governor to swallow its pride over its opposition to Operation Amotekun and admit that there is insecurity in the country.
Chief Ujege, in a telephone interview with The Nation, said Amotekun is a clear signal that there is need for restructuring in the country as the people have been clamouring for.
The Tiv leader said Nigeria with over 200 million people cannot be policed from Abuja alone.
“If a policeman is posted to my village from Abuja, what and who does he know? Let the Federal Government swallow its pride and accept Amotekun. (The Nation)
