The Yoruba Socio-political organization, Afenifere has said that the creation of the South-West Security Network, codenamed Amotekun, is a step toward achieving the state police that the group has been clamoring for.
A delegation of the pan-Yoruba group, led by its General-Secretary, Basorun Sehinde Arogbofa, said this during a visit to the Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, in Akure, the State Capital on Tuesday.
The group commended the Chairman of the South-West Governors Forum, for its tenacity and bravery on the establishment of Amotekun in the region.
Afenifere said, “We salute your courage. We saw the Amotekun thing as a forerunner to the state police.
“The creation of Amotekun is a forerunner to the state Police which Afenifere has always advocated.
“What can any government do without security? The security of lives and property should be a priority. We commend you.
“We acknowledge the leadership of Governor Akeredolu in bringing together the Southwest governors to tackle insecurity and making the security of lives and properties of the people a priority.”
In his response, Akeredolu said restructuring is not secession while hailing the Yoruba group for acknowledging his efforts on security, stressing that the security of lives and properties are crucial.
Akeredolu said, “Thank you for noting our efforts on the security of the state. You have captured it succinctly in a way that you can’t put it better. We met with a lot of forces and it was not easy and it is still not easy.
“When you are forced into a corner where you have a security outfit without the right to carry the right arms, but we thank God that in all of Amotekun’s efforts, we have not suffered any casualty.
“Amotekun is going to be a forerunner for state police. We believe that our security architecture needs total restructuring. There must be a multi-level system of policing.
“This is where I believe part of the issue of restructuring lies. People, who thought restructuring is about secession, are wrong. We must restructure fiscal policy. We must restructure to show true federalism.
“President Muhammadu Buhari has done a few things on restructuring more than any President. But we are still clamoring for more. On ranching, he said: “We are not going to give our land to foreigners. But ranches are important.”
