S/West Kicks Against Abuja Control Of Amotekun

The South-West states, through the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria Commission, have rejected the idea that the Western Nigerian Security Network, codenamed Operation Amotekun, will be run in accordance with the structure defined by the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu as stated by the presidency.

GWG news had earlier reported that the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, had on Tuesday in a television programme on Channels Television, stated that the structure of the security network would be as prescribed by the IG.

Shehu said: “Whatever name they go by, Amotekun or whatever, will be streamlined and they will be run in accordance with the structure as defined by the Inspector-General of Police. They will be localised; they will be owned by the local communities. They will be managed by them.”

However, the Director-General, DAWN, Dr Seye Oyeleye, “The houses of assembly in the six states in the South-West have passed laws to guide the operations of Amotekun in their states. I don’t know what he (Shehu) meant except he is saying that the order of the Inspector-General of Police supersedes the states’ laws.

“The operations of Amotekun are guided by the laws duly passed by the houses of Assembly in the six states in the region and the bills were assented to by the governors.

“When I read what was credited to Garba Shehu, I found it strange. The Ondo State Amotekun is fully operational. Even Garba Shehu contradicted himself while saying this. He said on the one hand, the IG would supervise Amotekun, and on the other hand, he said Amotekun was guided by individual state laws.

“If the states have passed the laws to guide the operations of Amotekun in their states, then there is no issue. Nigeria is not a unitary state, it runs a federal system. The states are allowed in law to have their security outfits as long as they are backed by law.

“But I find it a bit strange that he is saying that one superman will sit in Abuja and control security outfits in the states. I am sure that the lawmakers in the states would have read what he said and would just laugh it off. What is the point in the states passing the bills and their governors assenting them if the IG will run the outfit?

“Community policing is the way to go and it cannot be controlled by a single person in Abuja. We are operating a federal structure and Abuja should concentrate on  its own community policing. I don’t want to believe that they are setting up their community policing structure to undermine what any state is doing. That shouldn’t be.”

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