AMOTEKUN: ‘Ignore Malami And Allow Him Go To Court’ – Group Tells South-West Govs

South West governors have been advised to ignore the directive from the office of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice to ditch the newly formed security outfit known as ‘Amotekun’ in the region.

The governors from the six states that make up the geo-political zone had launched Amotekun on January 9, 2020, with the sole aim to address rising insecurity in the region.

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But in a statement on Tuesday, the federal government through the office of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, announced the scrapping of the outfit, describing it as “illegal”.

The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum, in reaction, described Malami’s directive as an abuse of office meant to “suppress” the rights of federating units to secure themselves.

“We ask Malami to tell us what makes Amotekun illegal but Hisbah, Civilian JTF legal” in Kano and Northeast, said the Forum.

The group asked the South West governors to ignore the AGF’s directive and prepare to meet him in court.

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“Malami’s declaration is in furtherance of the widely–held suspicion that sections of the country are deliberately being rendered vulnerable for herdsmen and other criminals by the Federal Government,” the statement said.

“We ask the Governors of the South West to ignore Malami and allow him to go to court to challenge their decision as he cannot constitute himself into a court over elected governors. We are not under military rule.

“We insist that what the governors have done is what individuals and neighbourhoods can legally do to secure their lives and property.

“The ultra vire action of the AGF has further exposed Nigeria as a country under command and control and governed by a conquest mentality.”

Besides providing the legal backing for Hisbah police and Civilian Joint Task Force in the north, the Forum also asked Malami to, “further explain to us what makes Civilian JTF legal in the North East where there is war and in Zamfara, Katsina, and Kano where there is no war, while Amotekun is illegal.

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“This is a defining moment to decide if we are under segregation and different laws in this country.”

The group insisted that the South West governors’ intention was timely as lives and property had been threatened in the region.

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