The Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) has charged the coordinators of State Security Network Agency called ‘Amotekun’, to ensure that only applicants with mental fitness are recruited.
The achieve this, NBA suggested compulsory psychiatric test for the personnel as part of recruitment rules.
Speaking in Ado Ekiti on Sunday, the NBA Chairman, Ado Ekiti Branch, Barrister Olakanmi Falade, said he had made the suggestion for the inclusion of mandatory psychiatric examination at the assembly’s public hearing held on Thursday, as part of the prerequisites for qualification for Amotekun operatives.
He said section 19 of the Ekiti State Security Network Agency bill sent to the House spoke about qualification, but the issue of mental stability was not put into account, which he said spurred him to raise observation about that.
“Under the interpretation of sections, arms should not mean firearms alone, it should also include axes cutlasses even stick. That I think would have been taken into account before passage.
”Also, I proposed that in addition to criteria for employment of officials, a mandatory psychiatric test should be added in the law as stated in Section 19 which dealt with recruitment.
“The passed bill before transmission to the executive with amendments should include this. The mental stability of whoever carries arms matter to Nigerians.
“We have seen cases of how Nigerians were being abused by security operatives. We have seen how those that were supposed to guarantee safety ended up killing innocent people over flimsy excuses.
“I appeal to the House to effect this while doing the amendment before transmitting to the executive.
“I observed that the composition of a board that will superintend over the Agency was contained in the passed bill. I believe the board will be given the power to set their own rules and criteria for recruitment when they begin operation.
“The board must adopt this as part of the rules for recruitment even if it ends not being part of the amendments.
“This should be taken seriously in the recruitment exercise so that the operatives won’t turn out to be lawbreakers”, the NBA boss said.
