Strengthening Amotekun

DISTURBED by the recent attack on the state by terrorists, the Ondo State House of Assembly, this week, said it would soon amend the law establishing the Western Nigeria Security Network (WNSN) codenamed Amotekun in the state in order to address the spate of insecurity. The objective is to empower members of the Amotekun corps to have access to improved technology and sophisticated weapons. Chairman of the House Committee on Information and Sports, Mr. Gbenga Omole, stated this during a security summit organised by Oka community in Akoko South-West area of the state. Again, as part of efforts to ensure security of life and property in Oyo State, Governor Seyi Makinde approved the recruitment of additional 500 men for the state’s Amotekun corps this week. The situation is the same in Ogun, Osun and Ekiti states where the respective state governments are making efforts to ensure that the organisation actualises the objectives of its formation.

Speaking during his monthly security meeting with local government chairmen, vice chairmen, heads of security agencies, traditional rulers and other stakeholders, held at the House of Chiefs, Secretariat, Ibadan, Makinde said: “Security is everyone’s business and if we all play our parts well, we will have a safer and more secure environment. Security of lives and properties is a paramount responsibility of the government. But government cannot do it alone except with the cooperation of the entire citizenry. As we can see from reports all over the country, Oyo State is relatively peaceful. This was not achieved by the effort of the government alone but with the efforts of all stakeholders, especially the security commanders.”

To be sure, Amotekun has, since its inauguration, been working hard to address security concerns in the South-West geopolitical zone and, by implication, the entire country. Although under-staffed and largely without necessary equipment for combating security threats, particularly sophisticated arms and ammunition, it has recorded notable successes in containing the threats posed to the zone by kidnappers, highway robbers and terrorists. Recently, it intercepted a truck laden with a cache of weapons in Ekiti State. In Ondo State, it  recently confirmed the arrest of some suspects linked to the terrorist attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo. The Ondo State Commander of the corps, Adetunji Adeleye, stated this while parading some 71 men who were arrested for various criminal activities across the state. He said: “As regards the Owo incident, we have recovered the vehicles used for that operation and we made some arrests and we have also recovered some vital things which we are working on. A number of people have been arrested concerning the Owo issue as well as a number of equipment.” In Oyo State, Amotekun has made repeated seizures of weapons conveyed by outlaws in vehicles, mostly trucks. Of course, to stem the tide of insecurity, more collaboration is needed across the zone, and across the country. Working with other security agencies, Amotekun can do a lot. All that it requires is greater governmental support.

But just as security experts recognise, containing security threats, particularly armed robbery and terrorism, requires a commensurate weapons architecture that is clearly beyond the dane guns currently being used by members of the corps. If without sophisticated weapons members of the corps have stopped terrorists in their tracks through high-level intelligence, it is clear that they can do much more if properly equipped. The tenets of federalism and the global best practices dictate no less. In this regard, we endorse the call by the pan Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, on the Federal Government and state governments to take steps to establish state police. In a statement issued by its  National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi,   Afenifere said: “Given the limitations of state governments in the control of security apparati in their respective states, it is incumbent that they are allowed to transform their present security organisations such as Amotekun into full-fledged police so that they would be in a better position to effectively utilise the information gathered from the CCTV monitoring. From all indications, state governors have a lot of clout because the constitution invests them with a lot of powers. They should, as chief security officers of their respective states, impress it on the powers that be in Abuja that the country is now at such a serious crossroads security-wise that they must be allowed to take the bull by the horns. They can do this by having state police.”

We urge the governors of the South-West to work hard towards equipping Amotekun for optimum performance and, more important, actualising state police. They should liaise with their counterparts across the country and present a common front on the issue. On its part, the National Assembly should go beyond the realm of rhetoric and give state police the necessary legislative backing. The security system across the country should be decentralised so that Nigerians can have a greater say in how they are governed and protected.