Amotekun: FG, Southwest governors agree on ‘way forward’

Amotekun: FG, Southwest governors agree on ‘way forward’

Thursday, January 23, 2020 7:25 pm


Amotekun

The Federal Government said on Thursday that it had reached agreement with governors from Southwest Nigeria over Western Nigeria Security Initiative codenamed Amotekun.

It will be recalled that the launch of the security initiative has been enmeshed in controversies after the after the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, declared it illegal.

Anger over the declaration led to protests across the South-west states on Tuesday.

But Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had met with three South-west governors and three deputy governors at the end of the National Economic Council meeting over the issue on Thursday.

The governors present are Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo) and Adegboyega Oyetola (Osun), while their counterparts in Lagos, Oyo and Ogun are represented by their deputies.

Also present at the meeting are Malami and the Inspector-General of Police (IG) Mohammed Adamu

Laolu Akande, spokesperson for the Vice President, in a statement said the meeting was at the instance of the Governors who had asked to see President Muhammadu Buhari over the controversy surrounding the Amotekun Initiative. However due to the President’s foreign engagement, he asked the Vice President to host the meeting.

He described the as very fruitful as unanimous resolutions were made on the way forward for the security initiative.

“Having regard to the need for all hands to be on deck in addressing the security concerns across the country, it was agreed that the structure of Amotekun should also align with the Community Policing strategy of the Federal Government,” Akande said of one of the agreements between the governors and the presidency at the meeting.

He added that it was also agreed that necessary legal instruments will be put in place by each of the States to give legal backing to the initiative and address all issues concerning the regulation of the security structure.


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