Indication emerged on Friday that governments of the six South-West states may soon inaugurate the Western Nigeria Security Network [WNSN] codenamed Amotekun following the draft of the legal framework for the outfit by the attorney-generals of the six collaborating states in the zone.
The indication was given at the sideline of a meeting held at Davis Hotels, Ibadan by the Attorney-Generals of the six states in the zone.
Those who were present at the meeting were Attorney-Generals of Oyo State, Prof. Oyewole Oyewo; Adekola Olawoye of Ondo State; Oluwafemi Akande, Osun; Olawale Fapohunda, Ekiti; Akingbolahan Adeniran, Ogun, and Moyosore Onigbanjo, represented by Director, Civil Litigations, S.A. Quadri.
The six commissioners of Justice in the zone said the move to give Amotekun a legal backing became intensified following the declaration by the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Mallam Abubakar Malami, that the South-West security outfit was illegal.
Amotekun was launched on January 9 at the Oyo State Governor’s Office, Agodi, Ibadan.
But the security outfit was declared illegal by Malami with the claim that the regional security outfit was incongruent with the Nigerian constitution.
However, Oyewo, who spoke on behalf of the other Attorney-Generals, said,
“We deliberated on the plan to evolve a collaborative security network/agency in the South-West. We have been able to come up with a legal framework to back up the establishment of the security network in each of the states.
“Each of the states will have its own legislation and its own security network corp that will bear the name Amotekun Corps. There will be standard operational procedure that will also be in common and there will be an avenue for collaboration between the states.
“The security network will be working in collaboration and as a complementary network with the police and the security agencies and armed forces. We will be depending on our local people because of local intelligence. You can say it is community policing, vigilante but this security system has come to stay.
“The draft bills will proceed to the state houses of assembly of each of the states and will be signed into law by the governors of each state. That is where we are now.”
He said by next week it would go to the state houses of assembly, adding,
“Of course, the carrying of arms is legislated by law and the Amotekun outfit will comply with all the laws of the land. We have an operational manual that will also be passed as part of the legal framework for each of the states.
“We run a federal system. As long as laws are passed within the competence of our legislation, we don’t need the permission, authority or even the counsel of anybody other than what is in the constitution.”
