After initial hiccups, it was thought that the Federal Government had acquiesced to the plan by the states in South West geo-political zone to float the Western Nigeria Security Network (WNSN), a community police, code-named Amotekun.
Several meetings were held, which had in attendance many representatives of the Federal Government, through the Nigeria Police and other relevant security agencies.
Recall that the Federal Government had stalled the plan for a central control of the outfit, leading to breaking it down to state commands.
The outfit is already operating under the law as passed by the Houses of Assembly in the geo-political zone.
The Amotekun was inaugurated in 2019 to respond to the surge in insecurity- banditry, killings and kidnapping in Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti – the states in the Southwest geo-political zone.
But recent developments appear to point to the fact that the central government may not be comfortable with any other local security outfit that is not directly under the supervision of the Federal police.
The Federal Government recently approved N13.3billion for the take-off of the community policing initiative across the country.
Last Tuesday, Mallam Garba Shehu, senior special assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, while speaking on a television programme categorically said that Amotekun cannot operate outside the structures laid down by the police authorities.
“Whatever name they go by, Amotekun or whatever, they will be streamlined and they will be run in accordance with the structure as defined by the Inspector-General of Police, Shehu said.
“They can choose their own nomenclature but it doesn’t make a difference. There is a general structure for all state and local council community policing mechanisms and this should abide in the states.
“So, we are going to have a single-type structure community policing across the country and whatever is not in line with this does not have a place in the new scheme of things.”
The same day, Adeleye Oyebade, deputy inspector general, Research and Planning, also on a television programme, spoke vehemently that there would be no other community police except the one being put together by Abuja.
When asked what was going to be the relationship between the community police in the works and some security arrangements (outfits) already in place in some states, which are also backed by law, Oyebade said: “I am going to tell you straightaway; by the time the community policing strategy and implementation come fully into operation, everybody will follow suit; everybody will join us, and follow what we are preaching and what we are going to practise. Be mindful of the fact that the country has only one police force and that is the Nigeria Police.”
He emphatically said that other outfits would not operate differently, as according to him, “they will have no choice but to work with us. It is a win-win situation for us.”
The DIG further explained that the Nigeria Police was coming with a programme that is backed by the Federal Government, backed by the people, and a programme that has all that “we need to do to get the society along. By the time we have all these men in place and they are all over the country and there is proactiveness in our policing and there are issues that are resolved without them snowballing into crisis; I think people that are off the bar will have no choice but to join us.”
According to him, “The recruitment shall be guided by provisions of Sections 49 to 50 of the Nigeria Police Act. They are special constables to be recruited as police officers. The special constables are going to be auxiliary police officers.”
The DIG also seemed to have stirred the hornet’s nest when he said that the constables to be recruited would be paid some remuneration by state governments.
The next day, Wednesday, August 26, 2020, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (Ondo State), chairman of the Southwest Governors’ Forum, who was visibly not comfortable with the Federal Government’s position on the issue, pointedly said that Amotekun would not be subsumed into the community policing programme.
Akeredolu said Amotekun Corps would operate within the confines of the law setting it up.
On states shouldering the responsibility of the constables, the senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) said: “Which state governor will accept additional responsibility; are they increasing our allocation. You are saying we are the ones to fund community policing; why must you put more burden on us?”
Insisting that Amotekun has come to stay, Akeredolu said there could only be collaboration.
“Ours is collaborative not confrontational. We are determined to collaborate. We will and should collaborate with the Nigeria Police. For us, it is to collaborate and work together. It will even be more effective for Amotekun to collaborate with the Police. We need Amotekun in our rural areas, mainly because this is where the kidnappers operate and the route by which they take away their victims, and we say if we can block this, the community police can be of assistance because our outfit is not an arms-bearing one; the armed police would handle that aspect,” the governor said.
According to him, “The Amotekun operatives are familiar with the terrain, even though they are not to be permanently in the forest; the forest is their forte. They are prepared to go into these forests and pursue these kidnappers. Amotekun has its own command but we are here to collaborate with the police initiative.
“We have so far seen in Ondo State a major cooperation between Amotekun and other security (agencies) be it the police, Civil Defence, etc. Recently, when some people were kidnapped, it was the Amotekun that went inside the bush and rescued the victims who were kidnapped. The kidnappers knew they were being pursued and they had to release the victims.”
He also urged the Nigeria Police to approach the court if they are not comfortable with the Amotekun initiative.
“It will never be accepted. We have a law that set up Amotekun. If the DIG feels otherwise, well, there’s always a best way to ventilate it. We are not afraid of this. The Amotekun will operate under its own law that set it up. It is not going to be subsumed under any set up. Never! There is no intimidation; we are not people to be intimidated.
“That is not the thinking and that will not be acceptable to us. If anybody feels there is any fault in the law that set it up, well he can go to court to challenge it and ventilate whatever position he holds. We have our own view. The DIG is totally wrong; the Amotekun will not be subsumed under community police; no.”
Re-echoing Ondo governor’s assertion, Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo State, while addressing chairpersons of the 68 Local Government and Local Council Development Council Areas in the state at a meeting last Thursday, insisted that Amotekun has come to stay in the state.
Makinde also added that the outfit would not be under the control of the federal establishments but the state, as according to him, it is impossible to achieve any meaningful development in an atmosphere of insecurity.
“We want our people to sleep with their two eyes closed. Of course, security is one of the pillars of this administration and we must do everything possible to invest in the security of lives and property. In Okeho, the other day, armed robbers went to rob and the community rose against them and apprehended them. They combed the forests and got them.
“This is why I will continue to say it and I am saying it for the whole world to hear; Amotekun is here to stay with us. And it will not be under the control of the federal establishment. It will be under our control. Security of our people is extremely important, because nothing can take place, as far as we are concerned, in an atmosphere of insecurity,” he said.
The governor noted that the biggest challenge facing the country so far is in the area of security.
“We are getting close to the ’ember’ months, a period in which some people who have not worked all year and want to have a Merry Christmas, commit all sorts of crimes. So, we expect that there will be a spike in criminal activities. I want to, as a matter of urgency, urge you that you all go back to your areas to set up your Security Committees. It must be done almost immediately. And I will be happy to release funds; to give approval for you to spend some money on security within your domains,” he said.
According to him, “Oyo State is very large; in terms of land size, we are more than all the states of South-East Nigeria put together. So, we have a lot to do to protect the state. We have international borders, so there is smuggling taking place. They killed a Customs Official in Saki a few weeks ago; those things are not acceptable to us.
“As the government that is the closest to the people, you have to take control of the challenges of insecurity in your various domains and you should please, once those committees are set up, any enabler that you need, let us know. We will work with the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, to make sure those enablers are provided.”
In its reaction, Afenifere, pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, faulted the Federal Government decision that Amotekun should be under the control of the IGP.
Afenifere had, in a statement to the media in Lagos, Thursday, signed by Yinka Odumakin, publicity secretary of the group, said that Amotekun was a function of the law that was validly enacted by all the states Houses of Assembly in the region.
The group said that Southwest states would only collaborate with the Federal Government towards the success of Amotekun, adding that Amotekun would not be under the IGP.
“The Federal Government in its power drunk blaze did an unpardonable gaffe two days ago that Amotekun regional security of the West will function under the control of IGP.
“The story of the group born out of struggle for freedom against unitary command and control is well known. Amotekun exists today as a function of law validly made by Yoruba states and signed by their governors. States are coordinates with FG and not subordinates at all,” the group said.
Afenifere also commended the efforts of the Akeredolu and Makinde for rejecting the Federal Government suggestion, while insisting that states in the region had the right to control their internal security.
“Afenifere is very glad that the chairman of Southwest Governors, Rotimi Akeredolu, and Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, have both rejected the Federal Government suggestion.
“We back them and insist on the right of our homeland governments to control internal security. Enough of what has not worked,” the group said.
“We advise the Federal Government to continue patching its failed spots of the security architecture and allow regions freer hands to run their initiatives,” Afenifere added.
Meanwhile, the Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has hailed the Federal Government’s move to kick-start the community policing initiative with a seed funding of N13.3billion.
In a statement signed by Niyi Akinsiju, its chairman, and Cassidy Madueke, secretary, BMO said that the approval was in line with efforts to proffer solutions to the country’s security challenges.
“We see the decision as timely at a period the country is battling insecurity from many fronts, and which has recently seen state governors making a case for some sort of security bailout fund.
“It is gratifying that the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) deemed it fit to be part of an ad-hoc committee on Security and Policing set up by the National Economic Council (NEC), having realised that states also have a major role to play in tackling insecurity in the land,” it said.
According to BMO, “The N13.3billion approved by President Muhammadu Buhari for the take-off of Community Policing is a good starting point that is almost certain to change the face of policing in Nigeria at a time some geo-political zones are setting up regional security networks,” the group added.
BMO says it is convinced that the initiative will go a long way in ensuring that local communities take ownership of their own security, and expressed the hope that the Police authorities would speed up the process.
“We know that the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu recently told Senate President Ahmad Lawan that he had an August timeline for completing the processes for commencement of community policing across Nigeria.
“And now that a take-off fund has been approved for the initiative, we invite Nigerians to acknowledge how the President is keen on overhauling the security architecture as part of efforts to tackle insecurity in the country.
“We have no doubt that community policing will foster closer ties between the Police and local communities, especially as locals are expected to be recruited to form the core of operatives in their respective domains,” the BMO said.
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