The South-West states, through its mouthpiece, Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission, have rejected the Presidency’s position that the Western Nigerian Security Network, codenamed Operation Amotekun, will be run in compliance with the structure defined by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu.
Last Tuesday, the Senior Special Assistance to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, on Sunrise Daily, a Channels Television programme, that the structure of the security network would be determined by the IG.
Shehu was speaking on the Federal Government approval of ₦13bn for community policing across the 36 states of the federation.
He said, “Whatever name they go by, Amotekun or whatever, will be streamlined and they will be run in accordance with the structure as defined by the Inspector-General of Police. They will be localised; they will be owned by the local communities. They will be managed by them.”
The Presidency added that the community policing structure would be the same across the 36 states and any structure contrary to national structure would not be “in the scheme of things.”
Presidency added, “You know the constitution of the committees will be defined as including council chairmen, traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society groups and all of that.
“So, you are going to have a single type structure of community policing permitted all across the country and whatever is not in line with this does not have a place in the scheme of things. That is my understanding.”
He was asked if the newly created community policing introduced by the FG would not be in conflict with Amotekun, which was created by the six South-West states’ House of Assemblies, the presidency said the conflict would only be in terms of perception.
Shehu added that governors were being carried along in the process through the National Economic Council, which comprised the 36 governors and headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
However, the Director-General of DAWN Commission, Dr. Seye oyeleye, said, “The houses of assembly in the six states in the South-West have passed laws to guide the operations of Amotekun in their states. I don’t know what he (Shehu) meant except he is saying that the order of the Inspector-General of Police supersedes the states’ laws.
“Amotekun is guided by the states’ laws. The setting up of community policing should not in any way disturb the operations of Amotekun. In any federal system, there are multi-layers of policing and the more the merrier; Nigeria needs policing at different layers.
“The operations of Amotekun are guided by the laws duly passed by the houses of Assembly in the six states in the region and the bills were assented to by the governors.
“When I read what was credited to Garba Shehu, I found it strange. The Ondo State Amotekun is fully operational. Even Garba Shehu contradicted himself while saying this. He said on the one hand, the IG would supervise Amotekun, and on the other hand, he said Amotekun was guided by individual state laws.
“If the states have passed the laws to guide the operations of Amotekun in their states, then there is no issue. Nigeria is not a unitary state, it runs a federal system. The states are allowed in law to have their security outfits as long as they are backed by law.
“But I find it a bit strange that he is saying that one superman will sit in Abuja and control security outfits in the states. I am sure that the lawmakers in the states would have read what he said and would just laugh it off. What is the point in the states passing the bills and their governors assenting them if the IG will run the outfit?
“Community policing is the way to go and it cannot be controlled by a single person in Abuja. We are operating a federal structure and Abuja should concentrate on its own community policing. I don’t want to believe that they are setting up their community policing structure to undermine what any state is doing. That shouldn’t be.”
