INSECURITY: Amotekun Must, Will Be Armed- Akeredolu

The Governor of Ondo State Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu,SAN, has said that the security outfit, Amotekun Corps ”must” bear the most sophisticated weapons available to enable them effectively fight marauders committing crimes against humanity.

He assured that such will be backed by law, a clue that state lawmakers may soon legislate on the matter.

The Chief Press Secretary to Akeredolu, Richard Olatunde, disclosed this in a statement on Monday following the governor’s visit to the Passing-Out Parade of Courses 3 and 4 of the State Amotekun Corps at the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Arcade, Igbatoro Road, Akure on Monday.

Governor Akeredolu maintained that the authority of the state has to come into play because the country is under threat by brazen conflict entrepreneurs and armed, audacious non-state actors.

He insisted that State Security outfits backed by law whether in western Nigeria, Katsina, Borno, Benue or any Northern State must be armed as well.
He explained that the Amotekun Corps must be given the tools to carry out its pivotal, indispensable duties, wondering why the powers that be expect it to function without good tools.

He said, “Without providing the sub-national security forces to be a counter-balancing force, we have a crisis which strikes at the heart of the conception and the definition of the state itself. It is not just the definition of the State, the State itself is under existential threat.

“The modern state is defined by Treaties. The conception of the modern state beatified by these treaties gives it “an incontestable monopoly of the means of violence, intimidation and coercion.

“Those passing out today have undergone rigorous training at great expense to the state. The training will not end here it will be continuous. However, no amount of training will mask the debilitation of fighting with one arm tied against implacable foes.

“Amotekun must therefore be armed and will be armed and be backed by law. Otherwise, the training will be inadequate and we will be placing the lives of these great patriots in danger.”

Akeredolu contended that it is unacceptable if the federal government authorities sanction different “rules of engagement for different sub-national governments.”

The governor vowed to continue to support the operational capacity of all security agencies to achieve its mandate.

He urged the new officers not to soil the image of Amotekun Corps.

“The key guiding principles which you must adhere to at all times include spartan discipline, zero-tolerance to bribery and abuse of power, prompt response to distress calls and display of professionalism in the discharge of your duties. No form of misconduct shall be tolerated,” he said.

The statement partly reads, “Governor emphasized that the passing out ceremony is a reminder of the need to strategize and tackle the current security situation, which he said has been left to snowball into existential crises across Nigeria.

“He averred that the commitment of his administration to the safety and welfare of the people of the State and investors remains unshaken.

“The Governor, who noted that the current internal security framework in the country is ineffectual, submitted that the response of the sub nationals by setting up their own outfits is welcome, necessary, and has become indispensable. “

Recall that the governor had on September 22 claimed that the equivalent of the Western Nigeria Security Network in Katsina, had reportedly obtained the approval of the Federal Government to acquire weapon, based on a video that had gone viral.

He had described the development as being “fraught with great dangers” especially when Amotekun is denied the right to legitimately bear arms.

But the Katsina Police Command, while reacting to the governor’s earlier remarks, denied the claim, adding that vigilantes in the state were merely trained on how to use AK-47.

The command’s spokesperson, Gambo Isah said the vigilantes were just trained on how to defend themselves.

“And to be categorically clear, there is no member of vigilante in Katsina that is using that kind of weapon. It wasn’t issued to them by the Federal Government or State Government. They were just trained on how to defend themselves,” Isah had told THE WHISTLER.