Amotekun: Retired military officer to serve as commander

The commander for the Western Nigeria Security Network (WNSN) codenamed: Operation Amotekun will be a retired military officer according to the draft bill before the state houses of Assembly in the south- West zone.

The proposed bill of the Ekiti State Security Network Agency uploaded on the website of the state Ministry of Justice and obtained by Nigerian Tribune in Section 14(1), stated that the commander who will be appointed by the state governor for a term of four years, must not be below the rank of a  major or its equivalent in other security agencies in the country.

According to the draft bill, the new security outfit has been designed to gather information and share intelligence about crime, crime in progress, suspicious activities, criminal suspects and other criminal activities in the state and other areas within the zone.

The commander, who will be in charge of the day-to-day running of the Amotekun outfit, will also ensure the implementation of the decisions of the governing board comprising representatives of the Army, the Navy and the Airforce.

The section reads: “ There shall be appointed by the governor, a Corps Commander for the agency, who shall be a retired law enforcement officer or a military officer not below the rank of a Major or its equivalent in other security services.

“The Corps Commander shall: be a person with at least 10 years cognate experience in security matters; be responsible for the day-to-day running of the affairs of the Ekiti State Amotekun Corps and implementation of the decisions of the board; hold meetings with his counterparts in other states, particularly Ogun, Lagos, Ondo, Osun and Oyo states on a quarterly basis or as may be collectively determined by the Corps Commanders in those dates; have general supervision and control of all employees of the Ekiti State Amotekun Corps; draw up programmes of training for members of the Ekiti State Amotekun Corps for effectiveness and efficiency in the performance of their functions under the law; and generally, perform all other duties affecting the agency as may be specifically assigned by the board.

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“The Ekiti State Amotekun Corps Commander shall be appointed for a term of four years in the first instance and shall be eligible for re-appointment for one further term of four years.

“The Ekiti State Amotekun Corps Commander may be removed from office by the governor if the governor is satisfied that it is not in the interest of the public that he should continue in office.”

The bill also provides for the funding of the corps through subventions from the state governments as well as donations.

“ The funds and resources of the agency shall consist of: subventions from the state; gifts and donations from individuals and corporate bodies; and any other money or property which may in any way become payable to or vested in the agency.

“The agency may accept money, grants, gifts, endowments, donations and testamentary dispositions or other property in aid of its objectives on the condition that such are not inconsistent with its functions, policies and objectives,” Section 30(1) of the proposed bill reads.

Section 36 of the bill also stated that any individual who hinders and obstruct the Amotekun Corps from performing their duties would be guilty and liable after conviction for one-month jail term or payment of N250,000 fine.

The section read: “ Any person who willfully hinders, delays, obstructs or assaults a member of the Ekiti  State Amotekun Corps in the course of the exercise of his lawful duties under this Law shall be guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term of one month or to a fine not exceeding N250,000.00 or to both such fine and imprisonment.”

The governing board, according to Section 6 of the bill will also have the six states’ Commissioners of Police, and the states’ Commandants of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps as board members.

Meanwhile, the Oyo State House of Assembly will on Thursday begin consideration of the legal framework backing the establishment of the Western Nigerian Security Network  (WNSN) codenamed: Operation Amotekun.

This followed approval of the state executive council for onward transmission of the bill to the state Assembly at Tuesday’s council meeting.

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State Commissioner for Justice and Attorney- General, Professor Oyelowo Oyewo, who confirmed the transmission of the bill, in an interaction with journalists at Governor’s Office, Ibadan, expressed optimism that South West Houses of Assembly will pass into law the Amotekun bill by next week.

The Oyo State Security Network Agency bill when passed into law will see the establishment of the Oyo state Amotekun corps headed by a Commander.

Alongside the establishment of an agency will be the setting up of an Amotekun Corps Complaints board where complaints about the excess of the corps, in relation to human rights abuses, can be lodged.

On the bearing of firearms, Oyelowo said the Amotekun Corps will adhere to extant laws, including the Firearms Act and Prohibition law, that arms can only be borne with a permit.

“There is a law on the bearing of arms, there is a provision in the Amotekun laws that is in compliance with the extant law in Nigeria to bear arms, that is seeking the President’s permit. You can’t bear arms without a permit.

“Beyond arms, there is other security equipment that you don’t need such rigorous process to bear but when it comes to bearing of firearms, the firearms act and prohibition law make guidelines and this will be complied with in seeking the necessary permission.

“And this is not the first time, for example, the extant law in Ogun state relating to neighbourhood watch has provisions forbearing of arms. There are even other bodies like Joint Task Force, Hisbah in the North East that are bearing arms. So, the case of Amotekun is not a peculiar one,” Oyelowo said.

Meanwhile, worried about the prevalence of cultism, killings, violence and rape among other crimes and criminality in the state, the Assembly is set to stage a security summit.

Speaker of the Assembly, Honourable Adebo Ogundoyin, identified the expediency of hosting the security summit while giving his conclusive remarks on a matter of urgent public importance, committee report and motion bordering on security in the state.