IGP, South West govs say Amotekun not regional outfit, embrace community policing

• Bill on security outfit scales second readings in Ekiti, Oyo Assemblies
• Ogun Assembly receives law on security network

The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, yesterday insisted that Amotekun could not be a regional security outfit, stressing that each state is entitled to have its own security platform as backed by the law.

Adamu added that community policing would be of great advantage in securing the lives and property of the people and assuring that the Nigeria Police Force would give it full support.

The IG said these shortly after meeting with South-West governors at a stakeholders’ summit on community policing at the Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja.

Adamu, while addressing the press after the meeting, said the Federal Government was not in opposition to any security outfit that would be in tandem with community policing.

He, however, added that the issue of regional policing should be discarded.

“Amotekun is not a regional security outfit. As it is, every state has been having its security outfit. It is agreed that the structure be in conformity with community policing. It should be infused into it.

“The public is the police and the police is the public. It (Amotekun) must be backed by law for it to be effective. The structure will be in tandem with community policing,” the police boss said.

Earlier, Governor of Ondo State and Chairman, South-West Governors’ Forum, Rotimi Akeredolu, said the governors had resolved to enforce community policing in its entirety.

He added that despite having Amotekun as a security outfit, it should not be seen as a regional policing.

“We want all of us to know that we said we are having Amotekun, it is not a regional police, it is state-based. We have agreed that we can use Amotekun in our states,” Akeredolu said.

Meanwhile, the bill seeking to establish the Ekiti State Security Network Agency,” also known as South-West Security Outfit, code-named Amotekun, yesterday passed first and second readings in the state House of Assembly and was committed to the Committee on Security.

In his remarks before the commencement of the debate, the Speaker, Mr. Funminiyi Afuye, said that what is going on in the country gives a lot of concern and states “that we must protect our people from criminals. We must warehouse our people from kidnappers through the passage of this bill.

“The President visited Borno State yesterday for condolence visit over the killings of dozens of people by bandits, we don’t want such condolence visit to our state. We must take the passage of the bill very seriously.”

Also, the bill seeking to give legal backing to the South-West Security Network, code-named Operations Amotekun, yesterday passed second reading at the Oyo State House of Assembly.

The Speaker of the House, Adebo Ogundoyin, said members of the outfit should be recruited from the same localities where they would work, adding that vigilantes, hunters and guards should be integrated into Amotekun.

The bill was forwarded to the Committee on Security and Strategy.

However, Ogun State House of Assembly yesterday acknowledged the receipt of a correspondence from the State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, conveying the proposed bill on the state’s new security outfit, Amotekun Corps.

The Assembly reiterated its assurance to harness the views of the citizenry and other relevant stakeholders in the legislative process to ensure speedy passage of the bill into law.