The Oyo State Security Network Agency Bill, 2020 for the establishment of Amotekun corps passed the second reading stage, on Thursday, with the state Assembly resolving to subject the bill to a public hearing before passing it into law.
According to Speaker of the state Assembly, Honourable Adebo Ogundoyin, subjecting the bill to public hearing was aimed at getting ideas of more stakeholders in the society with a bill to ensuring that Amotekun corps’ operations in the state are guided by a holistic law.
While forwarding the bill to the House Committee on Security and Strategy, Ogundoyin however assured that the public hearing was likely to be staged next week to ensure accelerated passage of the bill into law.
“What is worth doing at all is worth doing well. We have just passed it for second reading and it will go into a public hearing. After the public hearing, we will get everybody’s ideas together and sit on it for third and final reading before the assent by the governor.
“Everything will be accelerated. We should do the public hearing either ending of next week or beginning of the upper week depending on how fast the committee can work on it. By first or second week in March, we should have the bill assented to,” Ogundoyin said.
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Lawmakers, in their contributions during second reading, had noted the need for scrutiny of the bill to make provisions for checks and balances by the legislature and prevent excess powers over the agency allocated to the Attorney General of the state.
As contained in the bill, the Amotekun corps is to collaborate with security agencies in gathering information about crime, the arrest and prosecution of persons suspected or involved in kidnapping, terrorism, cattle rustling, cultism, highway robbery among other criminal activities.
The Agency, when set up, will also have the power to undertake day and night patrol on land and water, disarm unauthorized persons in possession of arms and other dangerous weapons, render prompt assistance to crime and accident victims, give a report of suspicious activities and undertake joint operations with the police and other security agencies.
As stated in part IV of the bill, anyone who willfully hinders, delays, obstructs or assaults a member of the Oyo state Amotekun corps in the course of the duties shall be liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term of one month or to a fine not exceeding N250,000 or both.
Also, the bill provides that any member of the board, the staff of the agency or member of the Amotekun corps is excluded from liability or being sued in his or her personal capacity, but only the Agency can be sued.
The bill prescribes the setting up of a governing board to approve programmes of training for members of the Agency and empowered to remove the name of an Amotekun corps member found unfit to discharge their functions by reason of infirmity or misconduct.
The Amotekun corps shall be composed of members of registered vigilante groups, statutory security agencies and headed by a corps commander who is a retired law enforcement officer or military officer.
To be enlisted with the Amotekun corps, the person is expected to apply in writing, receive confirmation from the divisional police officer in his local government area and be endorsed by Chairman of his local government area.
Meanwhile, concerned about paedophilia and other child sexual abuses, the Assembly, also at Thursday’s plenary resolved to host a public hearing on the Child Sexual Offences Bill, 2019.
This came as the bill sponsored by Honourable Bimbo Oladeji representing Ogbomoso North constituency scaled through second reading on Thursday.
The bill stipulates that anyone who rapes, penetrates or fingers a child is liable to imprisonment for life or a minimum of 12 years imprisonment without an option of fine.
Also, the court and police shall by the law be expected to maintain a register of convicted offenders which shall be accessible to the public.
In addition, the bill stipulates that any person who stalks a child with the purpose of having sex with the child or cause bodily harm is guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to two years imprisonment or a fine of N200,000 or both.
Also stated in the bill is a sentence of six months imprisonment or a fine of N50,000 for any person who indecently exposes his genital to a child, while anyone who harasses a child is liable on conviction to two years imprisonment or a fine of N200,000.
Furthermore, any person who views the genital of a child with or without physical contact is guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to one-year imprisonment or a fine of N100,000 or both.
The bill also states that any person who gropes a child with the purpose of deriving sexual satisfaction is guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to one-year imprisonment or a fine of N100,000 or both.
Furthermore, the bill avers that any person who coerces a child to engage in sexual activities is liable on conviction to three years imprisonment or a fine of N200,000 or both.
and then