Ogun and Ondo State Executive Councils have approved the Draft Bill for the Establishment of Western Nigeria Security Network security initiative, code named Amotekun.
The Ondo State Executive Council approved the Bill for the establishment of Ondo State Security Network Agency and Amotekun Corps code named “Operation Amotekun” after a careful study of six parts and 44 sections draft presented by the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Kola Olawoye to it.
The Bill will now be be transmitted to the Ondo House of Assembly for passage.
In Ogun, the Bill was approved by the State Executive Council after extensive deliberation that lasted close 10 hours at a sesion presided over by Governor Dapo Abiodun.
Addressing journalists at the end of the Executive Council meeting, the commissioner for Justice and Attorney General of Ogun State, Mr Adegbolahan Adeniran, said the presentation of the bill before the Council followed the earlier approval by the Attorney Generals and Commissioner of Justice of the six Southwest states.
Adeniran assured that the State Amotekun Corp will be headed by a state Commandant, adding that the bill also allows for collaborative efforts between the six Southwest states should the need arise.
He expressed optimism that the bill will get speedy attention from the state lawmakers so that the Governor can also give the required assent in no long time.
Adeniran said: “We presented the bill for the creation of the Ogun State Security Network Agency or what many call the Amotekun Corp Bill of 2020.
“Today, the Executive Council of Ogun State met and adopted a draft as amended of a bill for a law to establish the Ogun State Security Network Agency. This agency is the agency that will comprise of the Amotekun Corp and this bill will be transmitted to the house of assembly before the end of this week,” he said.
The Amotekun Security outfit had already been launched by the Governors of the Southwestern states. However, it became very clear that there was a need for a legal backing for that operations.
“This”, he added, “made all the Attorneys General of the Southwest zone including Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo and Lagos state to come together with the intervention of DAWN commission that has been piloting the process, and we are able to have a draft model bill to be adopted by each of the state in accordance with their local circumstances and situations as the need arises.”