The Federal Government and the South-West governors yesterday reached an agreement on Operation Amotekun.
The media aide to the Vice-President, Laolu Akande, made this known through a press statement.
Although the Attorney General of the Federation, and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami had described Amotekun as illegal, the governors and leaders of South West said there was no going back in the implementation of the new security outfit.
The government had said it had a policy on community policing, which had been approved by President Muhammadu Buhari as against the regional Amotekun format.
However, the governors insisted they would not dump Amotekun and sought rather to meet with the Presidency in the hope that the differences would be ironed out.
The meeting started immediately after the expanded National Economic Council (NEC) meeting presided over by the Vice President at the Conference Hall, Presidential Villa.
Osinbajo’s meeting with the governors it was reliably gathered was on the recently launched regional security outfit, Amotekun.
President Muhammadu Buhari had recently emphasized the importance of community policing which he said was part of the policy of his administration to curb security challenges in the country.
The decision was a fallout of a meeting held by the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, South West Governors, the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami and the Inspector General of Police, Muhammed Adamu .
The meeting, we gathered was at the instance of the Governors who had asked to see President Muhammadu Buhari over the controversy surrounding the Amotekun initiative. President Buhari however directed Vice President Osinbajo to host the meeting due to his foreign engagement.
It was gathered that the meeting was very fruitful and unanimous resolutions were made on the way forward.
Resolutions reached after the meeting read in part: “Having regard to the need for all hands to be on deck in addressing the security concerns across the country, it was agreed that the structure of Amotekun should also align with the Community Policing strategy of the Federal Government.
“It was also agreed that necessary legal instruments be put in place by each of the States to give legal backing to the initiative and address all issues concerning the regulation of the security structure.”
Fielding questions from state house correspondents after a meeting of the governors, the Attorney General of the Federation and the Inspector General of police with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Aso Rock villa on Thursday, chairman of the South west governors forum, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN, explained that the meeting with the vice president was fruitful and all parties have resolved to toe the path of peace.
Akeredolu, who is also Ondo State Governor, noted that the Attorney General of the federation and minister of justice Abubakar malami has already denied declaring the security outfit illegal, adding that he was misquoted.
He added that the noise generated over the establishment of Amotekun was needless and now there is a middle ground in the interest of all parties.
The Attorney General of the federal refused to comment on the matter despite pressure from journalists.
The Attorney General has however refuted his earlier comment about the establishment of the Western Nigeria Security Outfit which he declared illegal. He said that he was misinterpreted by the six southwest governors and the people of Western Nigeria.
He made this statement on a Radio programme in Abuja on Thursday. He said ” I was misinterpreted on Operation Amotekun, I did not say it’s Illegal”.
“I said the Operation Amotekun should be properly back by law, so if at the end of this Government, if the Operation has been backed by law, any Government that eventually succeeded this government will not rubbish the Operation”.
“I said if they failed to enact a law in support of Amotekun in the South West Region of Nigeria, another government can come and say it’s Illegal and this is because it is not back by any law”.
“So, It just an advised to the State Governor’s to use their power and the State’s House of Assemblies in their various States to enact a law that will make the Operation more effective.”
The Hope
