Legal framework for Amotekun ready

Attorneys-General of the six Southwest states Friday night put finishing touches to the required legal framework for the operation of the pan-Yoruba regional security network, Amotekun.

According to the details of the agreed framework, each of the Southwest states of Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti and Lagos will have its legislation and security network operatives, which will bear the name Amotekun Corps.

All the attorneys-general of the six Southwest states were present at the meeting, except the Attorney-General of Lagos State, Mr Moyosore Onigbanjo, who was represented by the Director of Civil Litigation, Mr. S.A. Quadiri.

Other attorneys-general in attendance were: Prof Oyewole Oyewo (Oyo), Mr Oluwafemi Akande (Osun), Mr Olawale Fapohunda (Ekiti), Mr Adekola Olawole (Ondo) and Mr Akingbolahan Adeniran (Ogun).

The meeting, which started around 7pm and lasted for about three hours behind closed doors at Davies Hotel, Bodija, Ibadan, was also attended by officials of the Southwest regional think tank Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission led by the Director General, Mr Seye Oyeleye.

Addressing journalists after the meeting in company of the other AGs, the Oyo State Attorney-General, Prof Oyewo, said that the bill will be sent to the various states’ Assemblies after it has been seen by the separate State Executive Councils.

He said the operational details and structural procedures will be common across the six states to allow for avenues for operational collaborations.

He reiterated that the security Network is to complement the existing apparatus but would be using the local intelligence, expressing optimism that the bill will not take too long before being passed to laws by the individual states.

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The Oyo AG said: “The meeting of the Attorneys-General of the six south west states just concluded and 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 such establishment of security network in each of the states. So, each of the state 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 to work together.

“It must be stated that the security network will be working in collaboration and as a complimentary 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 under the name of Amotekun Corp 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.