The Oodua Peoples Congress, (OPC) has warned the South-West governors against departing from the initial guidelines on the formation of the Regional Security Network codenamed Amotekun.
The Ondo State Coordinator of OPC, Mr Pius Ogunsanya, who stated this in a statement noted that the governors of the six states in the region have been drifting away from the initial objective, especially in the area of recruitment.
According to him, the security outfit has failed to fulfil its objectives and fallen below the expectations of the people of the region in terms of curtailing crimes in the zone.
Ogunsanya however, called on the governors of the states in the region to return to the resolutions adopted at Lagos and Ibadan summits on the establishment of the security network.
He lamented the incessant killings and kidnappings across the South-West, noting that these killings and other atrocities were avoidable if necessary steps were taken.
He frowned over the killing of a first-class traditional ruler and Olufon of Ifon, in Ondo State, late Oba Israel Adeusi in Elegbeka, along Owo-Benin highway by some unidentified bandits.
The OPC leader noted that the Ipele/Ifon/Imoru axis of the expressway has come under the heavy attacks of the deadly herdsmen and bandits in recent times while the security outfit has failed to address the situation.
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He said: “As a way to put a final stop to such deadly attacks, kidnapping and killings along the highways across the region, South-West Governors should go back to the resolutions reached both at the Ibadan and Lagos security summits.
“They should implement the recommendations as originally approved by all the stakeholders, including the Aare Onakankafo of Yoruba, Gani Adams, who headed the local militia groups such as Hunters’ Associations, Agbekoya and Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN) to the summits.”
Ogunsanya noted that the current formation of Amotekun by governors from the region could adequately tackle and put an end to the menace of herdsmen attacks, kidnapping, killings, and other criminal activities inside the forests and hinterlands across the region.
“The Amotekun you see parading the streets in their branded vehicles are not fashioned along with the original recommendations of the stakeholders at the security summits that brought to life the security outfit, I can authoritatively say it.
“Take the case of Ondo State as an example; just a few numbers of OPC, VGN and hunters’ members made the list at the formal recruitment and launch of the outfit a few months ago.
“We didn’t know how they shared the slots among the politicians to make up the corps.
“This has really caused big lapses and deficiencies in the operations of the Amotekun corps as we can now see.”
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