South-west governors and the police high command have finally agreed on Amotekun, the security outfit created by the South-west zone, explaining, however that it is not a regional police, but community policing.
This was the outcome of the stakeholders’ summit on community policing involving Adamu Mohammed, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), the governors, commissioners of police as well as commissioner for justice from the six states in the region, other security agencies in the state, royal fathers, Community Development Committees (CDCs) and other stakeholders at the Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja, on Thursday
Rotimi Akeredolu, chairman of the South west Governors Forum, and the IGP, who briefed State House correspondents at the end of the closed door meeting, identified Amotekun as a community policing strategy to tackle crime in the region.
They noted, however, that the outfit is not a regional, but community initiative.
“It is clear that community policing which the Nigeria police is anchoring is one that will benefit all of us from the ward up to the state level,” said Akeredolu.
The Ondo State governor added: “We have made things clear to everybody and we want all of us to know now that when we said we are having Amotekun, it is not that we are creating a regional police, Amotekun is not a regional police.
“Amotekun is state based because we don’t have regions in the country anyway. We only have states and all of us have agreed that when you have laws in your respective states backing Amotekun or any security outfit, then you can go ahead for as long as it is within the legal bound.
“So we have come out happy, all of us have agreed and its been a wonderful resolution of few dark areas, which we have put light into but we can’t give you full details because this is a security summit. I can assure you that we are on the same page in respect of this.”
He was corroborated by Mohammed Adamu, who informed that the new outfit would work in tandem with other security agencies to fight crime at the community level.
“Amotekun is not a regional security outfit, as it is existing now every state has one form of outfit, whether it is vigilante or neighbourhood watch, that are working with security agencies of the state to fight crimes.
“This area must be clarified. It is not a regional structure, it is a state structure and it must be backed by law for it to be effective so we are saying the same thing, the structure must be in tandem with community policing”, Adamu said.
He described community policing as nothing but partnership.
According to the IGP, whatever structure in place must be in partnership with the police to address crimes and criminality across the region.
Joshua Bassey
