Opinion
Àmòtékùn and FG’s hypocrisy about insecurities
The Insight By Lateef Adewole
As I was contemplating what issue to address in my weekly article for this Saturday, series of events were taking place. This week has been full of dramas. Nigeria is country of endless chain of activities that keep citizens engaged. There was the story of the president’s daughter and the presidential jet, which broke the internet. Last week Thursday, the citizens woke up to the news of how the president’s youngest daughter, Hanan, who just finished her degree with First-Class in Photography from a university in London, some weeks ago, was specifically flown in “our” presidential jet to a private function in Bauchi state, to take pictures!
This might not have been a serious news but for what her father “supposedly” stands for; “integrity”. It was least expected of President Buhari, who, before becoming the president and while in opposition, scathingly criticised and condemned the acts of wastage by previous governments, one of which was the misuse and wasteful spending on presidential fleet. This was the reason for the condemnation of same action by him, in the case of Hanan.
Another news that also left many Nigerians in shock was the sacking of the former governor of Imo State, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, by the Supreme Court on Wednesday. This would have been nothing special but the candidate who was declared “new” winner of that election by the same court was Senator Hope Uzodinma. He is the candidate of the APC. The surprise was that, he came a distant fourth, with 96,458 votes while PDP’s Ihedioha polled 273,404, AA’s Nwosu garnered 190,364 and APGA’s had Ararume 114,676. He has since been sworn-in as the new governor on Thursday.
The one that was unbelievable was the declaration by the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister for Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), on Tuesday, that the newly inaugurated Western Nigeria Security Network (WNSN), code-named “Àmòtékùn”, is illegal and unconstitutional.
Whaaat? What the heck? Many could not comprehend that. How could an arrangement by constituted authority; the six state governors of a region (South West), to protect the lives and property of their citizens and residents in the region be considered illegal? It is inexplicable.
It was in the midst of all of this that the news of how a multitude of gunmen attacked about 10 villages in Kaduna state. It was reported that about 35 persons were killed and 55 people kidnapped. The gunmen were said to demand for 100 million naira as ransom.
Minister for Justice and Attorney-General Abubakar Malami says Amotekun is illegal
Before we could finish processing this, the very day that Mr. Malami declared Àmòtékùn illegal, there was another attack on the convoy of the Emir of Potiskum in Kaduna state again, along Mararaban-Jos. Six persons were killed, which included four security agents. Many others were injured, including the Emir himself. Some are being treated as I write. “N’ilu t’oloba, t’onijoye” (all these in a country guided by laws and orders?)
All these were apart from countless other incidents that happened all over the country. Kidnappings, ritual killings, armed robberies, and so on, too numerous to recount here, happen every hour of the day at one location or another, across the country. Then, with all these happening, the AGF has the temerity to declare an effort to curb such menace illegal. That is preposterous. One then begin to wonder if the lives of human beings lost on daily basis ever mean anything to the government again. That prompted my choice of what to write about.
In the past four years, Nigeria has experienced a surge in criminal activities. Killings from herdsmen, kidnappings, robberies and all sorts of insecurities escalated. Many areas that were formerly safe have become unsafe. Travelling on many highways is like a suicide mission. It got to a point that kidnappers took over Abuja-Kaduna expressway. People resorted to travelling by train, especially our more scared and vulnerable “big men” of Abuja. Similar situations abound on many other roads across the country.
Some months ago, Mrs. Funke Olakunrin, the daughter of a chieftain of the pan-Yoruba group, Afenifere, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, was brutally murdered on the Benin-Ore road, while she was traveling to Lagos. The killers escaped into the forest. They are yet to be arrested and brought to justice till date, despite the promises made by the Federal Government to fish them out. The incident generated a lot of heat, almost leading to inter-tribal conflict, had it not been well managed by the leaders of the Yorubas.
Before the 2019 general elections, there was a proposal from the leadership of South West, to deploy drones to monitor the highways and the forests to track the criminals. A nod was given to this by the presidency, with additional promise to support any effort at curbing the insecurities. It was established that the modus of these criminals was to invade the highways, towns or villages, carry out their nefarious activities and run back into the forests where they often established their hideouts.
These forests are difficult terrains for our conventional security agents to navigate. Oftentimes, these make them helpless in going after the criminals. As a remedy, complementary efforts by the locals and indigenes of each area with that of the security agents, usually yield positive results. These locals know the terrains, understand the indigenous languages spoken in the area and can easily gather information that could be useful in bursting crimes and apprehend criminals.
President Muhammadu Buhari is yet to speak on Amotekun
We have seen the positive outcomes of such collaborations in the fight against terrorism in the North East, where military have been battling the insurgents for many years now. The indigenes constituted themselves into vigilante groups called Civilian Joint Task Force (Civilian JTF). They are backed by their state governments and many even carry arms. Borno and Yobe states have benefited immensely from their contributions. They contributed in no small measures to the success recorded by the military against the insurgents.
So, borrowing a leave from such arrangements, in responding to the cries of their people who have been under attacks for some time now, the six South West governors, after series of meetings, discussions, negotiations, consultations, and security summits, which took many months, finally came up with the idea of establishing a regional vigilante group, which will collaborate with, and provide supports for the police and other security agents.
The launching of the Western Nigeria Security Network called “Àmòtékùn”, eventually took place last week Thursday, 9th of January, 2020. It was well received and applauded by the people within the region, and many well-meaning people across the country and outside. The members of this group will not be “riff-raffs” based on the standard of the criteria set as conditions and qualifications for employment. They will not be armed also.
Therefore, when I heard of bickering from some people about it, my immediate reaction was that; anyone who is not a criminal or who does not have sinister plan to execute one within the region, should not be scared of such arrangement.
So, it was a rude shock to me, like many other Nigerians, when we heard from supposedly an “official” quarter, as the AGF wanted us to believe, that the group is illegal and unconstitutional. It was unbelievable. How could such retrogressive, demoralising, discouraging and unreasonably insensitive statement be uttered by the AGF, claiming it to be on behalf of the federal government?
Despite this, many doubted it and believed that President Buhari could not have been part of such rash pronouncement. Even, some members of the same administration, like Professor Itse Sagay criticised the AGF for that statement and said that there is nothing unconstitutional about Àmòtékùn. Many other people have since spoken on the issue.
There were reactions from many eminent personalities like Professor Soyinka, Yinka Odumakin, Gen CRU Iherike, Senator Bassey Henshaw, Dr Isuwa Dogo of Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF).
Many senior lawyers like Femi Falana, Olisah Agbakoba, Mike Osakhome, Ebun Olu-Adegboruwa, all Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) also waded in. They were all unanimous in their counterclaims that there is nothing unconstitutional about the governors making efforts to protect the lives and properties of the people, through the setting up of Àmòtékùn. Or does Mr. Malami have a different constitution on which he based he declaration?
One of the most prominent lawyer in Nigeria, Chief Afe Babalola, has also lent his voice to the raging debate on Thursday. He quoted relevant sections of the 1999 Nigerian constitution (as amended), to buttress the legality of the actions of the South West governors. Someone even joked to me that he hoped Malami will go back to revisit his legal opinion now that Chief Afe, who must have obtained his SAN while Malami was still a toddler, running around in his village, drinking “kunu” (the milky drink common among the northerners), has spoken.
That was actually untrue because, Mr. Malami was an undergraduate when Pa Afe Babalola became a SAN. Though, Baba was called to bar in England and became a member of Lincoln’s inn, four years before Malami was born.
The proprietors of Àmòtékùn, the South West Governor Forum has also made their position known, through their chairman, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) of Ondo state, another senior lawyer, and former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA). He said that Mr. Malami does not have locus to declare the security outfit illegal. He promised that they will pursue it to “logical conclusion” (whatever that means). And that Àmòtékùn is here to stay. People are waiting and watching, especially what Mr. President will say “personally” about all of these.
Someone like me would not want to tow the line of thinking by some people, which portrays the action and the pronouncement by the AGF as tribalistic. He is being accused of being a front for people pursuing ethnic agenda. They believed that even if it is not true, it looks like it. Otherwise, how come the AGF never declared Civilian JTF illegal while they have been in existence for some years now, despite even bearing arms?
There are few other states like Kano, Sokoto, and Nasarawa, which established their own private security outfits called “Hisbah”. They were created to safeguard the states, prevent crimes, apprehend criminals, among other responsibilities. They were never declared unconstitutional by the AGF, who also happened to be from the northern Nigeria where these security outfits operate.
People were quick to recollect how the same AGF speedily went to court to declare IPOB as a terrorists organisation few years ago. Unlike Àmòtékùn, their agitations were more political and coordinated by individuals not elected governments, but still, there was no record that they carried arms. Only civil disturbances, though, was getting out of hands due to lack of proper coordination. So, this action of Mr. Maliami falls into a familiar pattern.
So, if all that were being insinuated were untrue, we will look forward to Mr. Malami making a redress. Or President Buhari making his own position known and calling “his boys” to order, except of course, if they are carrying out his instructions. We hope that is not the case, as that will not augur well for the country.
Going forward, the courage of the South West governors are well acknowledged, appreciated and saluted by the people. They have the full and unanimous support of the people of the region, except those who have criminal intentions. They are enjoined to go ahead and make a success of the Àmòtékùn, by all legal means possible. It should be legislated into law at the state houses of assembly in the six South West states. Some other regions of the country are already thinking of emulating the South West by replicating such outfits.
However, they must ensure strictness in the conducts of the personnel that will be employed and make sure they adhere to the rules of engagement. Their actions should not be inimical to the operations of the conventional security agencies, but be collaborative. The fear of the group being used to serve political purposes of the political office holders should be dispelled, by not doing so. We can only wish them success and wish ourselves safe environment.
May God continue to guide us aright.
God Bless Nigeria.
Lateef Adewole is a political analyst and social commentator can be reached by email lateefadewole23@gmail.com or via WhatsApp +2348020989095 and @lateef_adewole on Twitter
