- Ondo Assembly to review Amotekun law
- Makinde approves recruitment of additional 500 corps
- Akeredolu issues executive order compelling installation of CCTV in churches, mosques, others
Against the backdrop of the recent attack in a church in Owo where 40 persons were killed and many others were injured by terrorists, the state’s House of Assembly, has said it would soon amend the law establishing the State Security outfit, codenamed Amotekun, to deal with the spate of insecurity in the state.
After the review, the Amotekun Corps will be empowered to have access to improved technology and more sophisticated weapons. The Chairman of the House Committee on Information and Sports, Mr. Gbenga Omole, disclosed this during a security summit organised by Oka Community in Akoko South-West council area of the state.
Vanguard quoted him as saying: “We are looking at the law to give more backing to Amotekun in terms of procurement of more sophisticated weapons and more technology to be deployed.”
Speaking at the summit, the traditional ruler of the town, the Olubaka of Oka Kingdom, Oba Yusuf Adeleye, said that security is a collective responsibility of the people.
“This is not the first time we are having this summit but it is important to have this summit now, considering the various security challenges that we have been having and it is important to do this because we have to be vigilant now.
“We have to give kudos to the state government for establishing Amotekun corps and we give kudos to other security operatives. What happened in Owo on June 5, where unknown gunmen came to a church and killed over 40 people, is an eye-opener that we have to be up and doing.
“We have to be vigilant; we have to know people around us; we have to take the issue of security serious more than ever because what happened in Owo could happen anywhere. We have to be proactive.”
Also speaking at the summit, a retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Adewole Ajakaiye, called for cooperation between the citizens and security agencies.”
Akeredolu issues executive order compelling installation of CCTV in, churches, mosques, others
Meanwhile, Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has signed an Executive Order for the compulsory installation and use of Close Circuit Television (CCTV) devices in all public and private institutions in the state.
A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Olabode Olatunde, said that this “becomes imperative in the light of the increased spate of insecurity in the country and the need to ensure security of lives and properties in all public and private institutions and centres throughout the state.
“The executive order shall be enforced at all religious places of worship, financial institutions (of all kinds), event centres, supermarkets, educational institutions (Schools), Hotels/Motels, Guest House, inns, Restaurants, Clinics and Health Centres, eateries (of all kinds), recreation or vehicular parks and other places regularly used by the public.
“Pursuant to Section 176 (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which vests in the Governor of Ondo State the Chief Executive powers of the state, the Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, hereby issues the following Executive Orders:
i. That the owners, occupiers, managers and operators of public/private institutions within Ondo State shall mandatorily install, use and maintain CCTV devices and other secret cameras to monitor and keep surveillance on the daily activities in their premises and especially monitor the ingress and egress of people/vehicles at the said places, venues and centres.
ii. That the installed CCTV devices apart from capturing all activities at the public/private institutions must also have data storage hardware and data stored therein should be made available to security agencies whenever it is required.
iii. That public/private institutions shall employ and maintain well-trained security personnel who shall man the entry and exit points to their various facilities/premises.
iv. That where necessary, the owners and occupiers of public/private institutions shall erect a well fortified perimeter fence with a security post at the entry and exit points.
v. That this Executive Order shall be enforced by all security agencies particularly the Nigeria Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Ondo State Security Network Agency (Amotekun) and the Department of State Security Services (DSS).
vi. That violators of this Executive Order shall be prosecuted in accordance with Section 203 of the Criminal Code (Cap. 37) Laws of Ondo State of Nigeria.”
Makinde approves recruitment of additional 500 Amotekun corps
Also, as part of efforts to ensure security of lives and property in Oyo State, Governor Seyi Makinde, at theweekend, approved the recruitment of additional 500 men for the state’s Western Nigeria Security Network, WNSN, code named Amotekun.
The governor announced this at a monthly security meeting with Local Government Chairmen, Vice Chairmen, heads of security agencies, traditional rulers and other stakeholders, held at House of Chiefs Secretariat, in Ibadan.
He said: “Security is everyone’s business and if we all play our parts well, we will have a safer and more secured environment. Although, security of lives and property is paramount responsibility of government. But government cannot do it alone except with cooperation of the entire citizenry and as we can see from reports all over the country, Oyo State is relatively peaceful, this was not achieved by the effort of government alone but with the efforts of all stakeholders, most especially the security commanders.”
