Amotekun won’t be subsumed under community policing, Akeredolu maintains

 

• Whoever thinks otherwise can go to court
• Amotekun has come to stay

 

Ondo State Governor and Chairman of the South West Governors’ Forum, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has said that the South West security outfit otherwise known as the Amotekun Corps would not be subsumed into the planned community policing of the Federal Government.

Akeredolu stated that the Amotekun Corps would operate within the confines of the law setting it up.

He made the clarification on Wednesday in a live television programme in Akure, the state capital.

Akeredolu said talks were on to allow the Amotekun Corps carry firearms even as they currently make use of non-prohibited ammunition.

He stated that the Amotekun Corps has helped in the rescue of kidnap victims in the state.

He kicked against having a central command structure for the planned community police as agreement was yet to be reached on its operation and command.

The Ondo Governor noted that in creating state police, there must be corresponding responsibility by sending more funds to the state.

He insisted that security would be guaranteed in the country with the multi-level policing approach.

His words, “What we fail to agree on is operation and command. The operation and command of the multi-level of policing cannot be central. It is an idea that will come to be. There will be state police and at a point the local government will have theirs. All of us combine together to ensure security of lives and property. Community policing is good idea. Who will be in command? We must work towards having multi-level policing.

“The Governor will not be the one solely responsible for control of state police. It is not going to be a command to be headed by the Governor. The state police will be answerable to the Council, a replication of what we have at the national level. The President is not in charge of the Nigeria Police. We as a council took decision on who to appoint.

“Our major problem is where we have not reached a consensus among Governor as to the right time to have multi-level policing.

“Ours is collaborative and not confrontational. We will collaborate and work together. We have deployed our Amotekun into the rural areas. That is where kidnapping is taking place. We recruited hunters who know the forest.

“It will not be accepted for Amotekun to be collapsed into community policing. We have a law that set it up. The law set up Amotekun and Amotekun is going to operate under its own laws. It is not going to be subsumed under any set up. We work together and collaborate. Whoever feels otherwise can go to court.

“In creating state police, there must be corresponding responsibility by sending more funds to the state. There is no state that won’t be able to afford it. What we spend on police in states is a lot.

“We have not yet agreed as what should be in the issue of ammunition. Amotekun is allowed to carry non prohibited ammunition. Without ammunition, they cannot face bandits or kidnappers. We will continue to discuss on the need for Amotekun to carry arms. Amotekun will gradually do its job until they are allowed to carry arm.

“We will not collapse Amotekun to Community policing. Amotekun will stand on its own. It will operate under its own law. It is not going to be collapsed. There is no intimidation. We will not collapse it. There is no need to pretend. We will make them to understand. We are not forcing the IG to understand. We have our laws. If anybody feels otherwise, he should go to court. Amotekun has come to stay.”

The stance of Akeredolu is an apparent reaction to what the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Tuesday.

He said that the Western Nigerian Security Network codenamed ‘Operation Amotekun’, will now be run in accordance with the structure defined by the Inspector-General of Police.

Shehu was speaking on the approval of N13bn by the Federal Government for community policing across the 36 states of the federation.

According to him, “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 local communities, they will be managed by them.”

The President’s spokesman further stated that the community policing structure would be the same across the 36 states and whatever does not conform with the national structure would not be “in the scheme of things”.

Shehu added, “You know the constitution of the committees will be defined as including council chairmen, traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society groups and all of that. So, you are going to have a single type structure of community policing permitted all across the country and whatever is not in line with this does not have a place in the scheme of things. That is my understanding.”

When asked whether the new community policing being introduced by the Federal Government would not be in conflict with Amotekun which was created by Houses of Assembly in the six South-West states, the President’s spokesman said the conflict would only be due to perception.

He said, “They can choose their nomenclature, it doesn’t make a difference. Structurally, there is a governance structure for all state and local council policing mechanisms and this should abide in all of the states.

“Mind you, even in the case of Amotekun, there is no law that is regionally binding on the mechanism put in place. Each state parliament put together their own legislation, yes there are similarities in so many ways but it doesn’t take away the fact that each state Amotekun is an initiative of a given state in the South-West.”

Shehu said governors were carried along in the process through the National Economic Council which comprises the 36 governors and is headed by the Vice-President.

He said the N13 billion approved by the Federal Government would be used for training, enlightenment, and purchase of equipment.

The President’s spokesman said, “Ownership is meant to be by communities, by local councils, by the states. Yes, it is in response to agitations for state police but then it is the answer we now have given all the experiences we have in the country. The money will be used for training, public enlightenment, and equipment.”