All South-west Governors on Thursday met with the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Adamu, over the establishment of the South-west Security Network, Operation Amotekun.
Naija News gathered that the IGP and the governors all reached an agreement during the stakeholders’ summit on community policing
Commissioners of Police, Commissioner for Justice from the six states in the region, Royal fathers, Community Development Committees (CDCs), other security agencies and stakeholders were at the Summit held in the Lagos State Government House, Alausa, Ikeja.
Speaking to newsmen after the meeting, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu stated that Amotekun is not a regional but community initiative.
“It is clear that community policing, which the Nigeria police is anchoring is one that will benefit all of us from the ward up to the state level,” he said.
“We have made things clear to everybody and we want all of us to know now that when we said we are having Amotekun, it is not that we are creating a regional police, Amotekun is not a regional police.”
“Amotekun is state-based because we don’t have regions in the country anyway. We only have states and all of us have agreed that when you have laws in your respective states backing Amotekun or any security outfit, then you can go ahead for as long as it is within the legal bound.
“So we have come out happy, all of us have agreed and it been a wonderful resolution of few dark areas, which we have put light into but we can’t give you full details because this is a security summit. I can assure you that we are on the same page in respect to this,” he added.
Also speaking after the meeting, the Inspector General of Police, Adamu, said Amotekun is a state structure and must be backed law.
“Amotekun is not a regional security outfit, as it is existing now every state has one form of outfit, whether it is vigilante or neighbourhood watch, that are working with security agencies of the state to fight crimes,” he said.
“This area must be clarified. It is not a regional structure, it is a state structure and it must be backed by law for it to be effective so we are saying the same thing, the structure must be in tandem with community policing.”
