₦airaland Forum

DONSMITH123:
Did he made the statement? YES or NO?

Mynd44:
https://www.nairaland.com/5645283/tinubu-breaks-silence-amotekun-says

AMOTEKUN, GOVERNORS AND SECURITY

“As the highest elected official in his state and thus the individual embodiment of the will of the people, a governor must view safety and security as a foremost priority, integral to his mandate. To turn a blind eye to these concerns would be a grave dereliction. That the SW Governors seek to work together to complement the extant security architecture is, in principle, a commendable undertaking. In embracing this concept, they have acted in consonance with spirit of their offices for the better interests of their people.

“As Governor of Lagos State, I confronted a burgeoning criminal menace. I could not sit idly in the face of the violence and property destruction that struck genuine fear in the hearts of the people. The police tried as best they could; but their coverage was thin. They simply did not have the personnel or material wherewithal to be everywhere at once. We formed Neighbourhood Watch to help fill the gap.

“Our aim was not to replace existing structures but to complement and augment them. The mission of Neighbourhood Watch was to monitor the wards and neighbourhoods of the state. The group would gather information and intelligence to pass to the police and security authorities. The Neighbourhood Watch also provided an early warning system to keep citizens from harm’s way. The idea worked. Crime and violence reduced significantly. Even the overreaching Obasanjo government did not contend against Neighbourhood Watch.

“Judging from the public statements of the governors, Amotekun is meant to be structured along similar lines. As I understand it, Amotekun is to be another set of eyes and ears to assist the police. As such, it is but the second generation of Neighbourhood Watch expanded to a regional scale. Conceptually, there is nothing wrong with this. It does not appear to insult the constitution. However, my position regarding Amotekun is not blind or uncritical; there are several organisational and functional aspects of the proposal that could cause some problems if left unresolved.

“First, the stated mission is information gathering by civilians. Such tasks are always and everywhere best done in low-key fashion. Some aspects of Amotekun seem to undermine rather than enhance this function.

Second, equipping Amotekun with showy paraphernalia may cause the public to misconstrue the role of Amotekun, incorrectly believing its mandate is more expansive than it is. This possible disconnect could impede the good aims of the program.

“We also should consider that the Buhari administration has approved implementation of a policy of community policing wherein additional recruits from all 774 local government areas will be added to the force to help protect their own communities. As the Federal Government emphasizes grassroots policing it is uncertain how well Amotekun can complement the police force as the force moves toward greater decentralisation when Amotekun is organisationally leaning in the opposite way.

“We have been fighting for local and decentralised policing for a long time because we know that too much centralisation impedes performance. In regard to actual performance of its appointed tasks, Amotekun should have focused on grassroots local organisation at the state level without a regional command hierarchy. The regional approach may undermine efficiency. There is no compelling logic why the same personnel providing security & informational assistance in Ado-Ekiti should be under the same functional and operational leadership as those providing assistance in Lekki or Akure. This will not lead to optimal performance.

“The regional approach has only limited benefit with regard to the procurement and maintenance of vehicles and communications equipment because this wider approach allows for economies of scale. The regional approach also helps tackle the growing incidences of interstate criminal activity. Some things need to be corrected before Amotekun becomes operational. If not, it will not live up to expectations. Thus, the current formulation of Amotekun is in need of repair before it takes to the road only to quickly slip into a ditch.

CONSULTATIVE PROCESS BREAKS DOWN

“The governors state that they consulted regularly with the police and security agencies. This was the right thing to do. However, their failure to include the office of the Attorney-General in these discussions is the fount of the current public uproar. This was an unfortunate omission the governors should regret and seek to remedy. However, the conceptual merits and positive functional aspects of Amotekun should not be tainted by this procedural defect.

“While the Attorney-General is a conscientious public servant, he is also human. Not having been consulted, he was suddenly faced with an unexpected public announcement regarding a matter within his official ambit. He likely feared the failure to consult him meant that federal prerogatives were being encroached. To blame him for this conclusion would be to blame human nature itself. Though his negative reaction was understandable it was also unhelpful.

“The Attorney-General acted hastily in rendering a public statement that was more inaccurate than it should have been. Amotekun was never proposed as a “defence” agency; the Attorney-General erred in using this description. The use of uniforms and brightly coloured vehicles may not be the best ideas but they do not render Amotekun a defence agency or paramilitary group any more than a designated school van carrying uniformed students constitutes a paramilitary deployment.

“Believing the governors had crossed the line, the Attorney-General should have reached out to them. Before going public, he should have sought a private meeting so that he could have a better factual understanding of Amotekun. This would have enabled him to give the governors any specific constitutional or other objectives he might have. In this way, the two sides would have engaged in private consultations to reach agreement on the way forward. This cooperative process might have helped to correct some of the organisational lapses above identified. Such a diplomatic and wise step also would have prevented the current public acrimony now surrounding the issue.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR RESOLUTION

“This matter cannot be resolved on the pages of newspapers or by attributing negative motives to either side. The best way to resolve this is still for the two sides to enter private discussions. Either the governors should seek an official but private meeting with the Attorney-General, or the Attorney-General can initiate the contact. Since Amotekun is their initiative, the governors bear the greater onus in seeking the meeting.

“The meeting will initiate further discussion on how to resolve what appears to be a misunderstanding caused by an unfortunate lack of communication. Remedy the gap in communication and the misunderstanding will begin to disappear.

Last, I again stress to well-intentioned Nigerians to shun those who employ heated language to inflame emotions. It does us no good to rush toward exaggerated statements that suggest calamity of the highest order. Don’t allow yourselves to be fodder for those who seek to divide us.

“The fabric of the Republic has not been put at stake by Amotekun. However, that fabric could be torn by the dangerous rhetoric of those who should know better. Those claiming that this limited, inoffensive addition to security threatens the Republic have taken themselves upon a madcap excursion. Those claiming that the Federal Government seeks to terribly suppress the Southwest have also lost their compass. Those who occupy these two extremes have sunken into the dark recesses of fear and political paranoia that can undo a nation if such sentiments are allowed to gestate.

“We are one nation, 200 million strong with 36 states and a great complex of federal authority residing in dozens of federal ministries and agencies. If everyone is allowed their democratic expression, there are bound to be disagreements. This is inherent in the federal structure. Nations that have practiced federalism much longer than us still frequently debate over where the line between state and federal power is to be drawn. They have hundreds of court cases each year on this very issue. Yet they do not attack each other as we do. We must all learn to be more restrained and judicious in our reactions when such disagreements arise.

“Before leaping from our seats to lift our voice to the high rafters in profound indignation, we first would be wise to properly discern the situation. We must ascertain whether it merely is a tempest in a teapot or whether our house and all its teapots are swirling in a real tempest. Despite the ominous headlines and heated talk, an objective analysis points more clearly to the former than the latter. The resolution of this matter is not beyond us if only we allow ourselves to be the democrats that our better conscience and the very documents of our national existence call us to be.

“In trying to help resolve this matter, I have initiated communication with the Chairman of the South West Governors’ Forum, Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu, with a view to meeting the South West governors to explore amicable solutions to the avoidable controversy. I am sure that, at the end of it all, peace, security, and progress shall reign in our nation. Thank you.”

• Governors await Buhari’s response, reach out to IGP, DG DSS
• AGF got clearance from President, says source
• FG may ask governors to scale down security network

January 19, 2020

Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation

FEARS that separatist and ethnic groups might take advantage of the introduction of the Western Nigeria Security Network codenamed Operation Amotekun to undermine national security were largely responsible for the declaration of the initiative as illegal by the federal government,The Nation can now confirm.

Some members of the kitchen cabinet of President Muhammadu Buhari and security chiefs are also opposed to Operation Amotekun, because of what a source termed regional tone given to it by the SouthWest governors.

Attorney General of the Federal Abubakar Malami (SAN) branded the initiative illegal last week soon after it was launched in Ibadan.

The Minister claimed it runs contrary to the provisions of the Nigerian law.

However, The Nation gathered that some key players in the presidency interpreted the coming of Operation Amotekun as part of the ploy to introduce regional politics through the backdoor.

The President’s strategists rate the operation as a violation of Sections 2, 17 and 45 of the Second Schedule to the 1999 Constitution.

The strategists have joined issues with the governors for not consulting President Muhammadu Buhari before the launch.

It was learnt that some security chiefs feared that some ethnic and separatist organizations like the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) might take advantage of Operation Amotekun to threaten national security.

Besides, the assumption that Amotekun Militia might bear arms did not sit well with some forces in the presidency prompting Malami to issue the statement on the ‘illegality’ of the initiative.

Malami was said to have got clearance from the presidency before issuing the statement

On their part,the South-West governors have reached out to Police Inspector-General Adamu Mohammed and the Director-General of the Department of State Security Services (DSS), Mallam Yusuf Magaji Bichi to clarify a few misgivings.

They told the IGP and the DSS DG that Operation Amotekun is not different from a neighbourhood watch security organization.

Investigation showed that the governors notified the President about the launch of Operation Amotekun through the “appropriate quarters.”

They went ahead with the launch when there were no words from the President against it or raising security issues.

Despite the misgivings on Operation Amotekun, the governors are awaiting Buhari’s invitation to present the true picture of situation to him instead of relying on some false reports.

A reliable source, who spoke in confidence with our correspondent, said: “The launch of Operation Amotekun caught the President and his strategists unawares because the President was not personally briefed by the South-West governors.

“The governors actually routed their plans to the President through the appropriate quarters of communication but there was a gap somewhere. The President’s men are angry because the whole process was untidy.

“And those who had preliminary talks with the governors on the launch did not brief the President properly.

“The governors are awaiting an invitation from the President to present the concept of Operation Amotekun, the scope and modalities to him.”

Findings by our correspondent revealed five grouses of the President’s men and security chiefs namely:

No provision for regional security arrangement in the 1999 Constitution or any law Alleged backdoor approach to reintroduce regional autonomy/ government structure Defence, Police and Security architecture on the Exclusive List in sections 2, 17 and 45 of the Second Schedule to the 1999 Constitution.

Amotekun Militia may bear arms and become parallel security organizations Operational procedures yet to be defined and harmonized with the Police and other security agencies before the launch of Operation Amotekun

Another source said: “The President’s strategists and security chiefs were uncomfortable with the regional tone given to the launch of Operation Amotekun which may force other regions to follow suit, especially the backers of IPOB and MASSOB.

“Since 1967, when 12 states were created, the nation’s regional structure has been dismantled. Those in government and security chiefs see politics behind Operation Amotekun than security concerns.

“The governors are aware that there are 67 items on the Exclusive Legislative List and they should have pushed for constitutional amendment to move Policing to the Concurrent Legislative List or for the recognition of Neighbourhood Watch.

“There is also no guarantee that Amotekun Militia will not bear arms. Proliferation of arms by extra-constitutional outfits is worrisome to security chiefs.

“The security chiefs had expressed reservations on the launch of Amotekun without Operational Procedures and with Insignia which suggested it is a parallel security agency.

“All these factors made the AGF Malami to declare Operation Amotekun illegal.”

One of the South-West governors, who briefed our correspondent in confidence, said: “There are many misrepresentations about Operation Amotekun which is purely a neighbourhood watch to complement the Nigeria Police and other security agencies. Amotekun was a response to the yearnings of our people, it is purely an intelligence outfit or back up for the police and other agencies.

“We have sent one of us to the IGP and the DG of DSS where it was clarified that Amotekun Militia will not bear arms. They have police and DSS operatives guarding us, they can ask them to spy on us (which they have been doing) on whether or not we are providing arms for Amotekun Militia.

“No one is importing arms; no one is arming militia and Amotekun is not designed to undermine the Police and other agencies. It is not a return to regionalism in any manner whatsoever.

Responding to a question, the source added: “We actually followed the normal communication channel in relating with the Presidency before we launched Operation Amotekun. We could not have slighted the President.

“Before the launch, we had audience with the Police and some security agencies. We were expecting the IGP at the launch until we did not see him at the last minutes.

“We see all the noise against Operation Amotekun as a storm in a tea cup. We hope to meet the President soon and clarify the grey areas.”

19th January 20

Chioma Okezie -Okeh

DETECTIVES attached to Zone 2 Police Command have found the corpse suspected to be that of the late Anambra businessman, Ignatus Odunukwe who was allegedly kidnapped and killed by suspected kidnappers sometime in December 2019.

Sunday Sun learnt that his abductors pretending to be interested in one of his properties in Ajah area of Lagos lured him to a point where they picked him.

In a five minutes video made available to Sunday Sun, unidentified policemen who introduced themselves as acting on the directives of the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 2, Ahmed Iliyasu took some suspects allegedly arrested in connection with the case to identify an already decomposed body inside a bag.

The suspects who identified themselves as Arinze, Solomon, Cletus and Daniel Ibeaju took turns to confirm that the body in the bag belongs to the missing businessman whom they killed and dumped his body inside the forest in a remote area close to Ajah.

One of the suspects, identified as Daniel was heard explaining that the dead body was chopped in pieces and squeezed into a big bag and thrown into a carton before they dumped it in the bush.

In the video, one of the policemen who took the time to explain what was going on was heard saying: “This is the gruesome murder of Chief Ignatus Odunukwe, this act was planned and hatched by a gang led by Daniel Ibeaju from Enugu State. It is very unfortunate, the AIG Illayisu has directed us to recover this corpse and take it down to the hospital. The investigation will continue and the outcome will be made known to the public.”

He later called on the medical personnel who were at the scene with their ambulance to evacuate the body to the mortuary.

Confirming the incident, the Zone 2 PRO, Hauwa Idris Adamu, a Deputy Superintendent of Police said that investigation was still ongoing to ascertain what happened.

OneCorner:
So u want to start hawking cement?

chozzy:
Oga, it's not about PDP or APC
The question is, should Sanwo-Olu even waste resources on any commissioning jamboree?

First, he inherited those Ojokoro LCDA roads from former Gov Ambode at various stages
of completion - 90%, 95% or 100% but failed to give him credit during commissioning.

Second, those so-called "31 roads" are at best local government projects.
Confirm from anyone residing around Ojokoro LCDA (Ahmadiyya, Ijaiye, Amje, Abulegba, Alakuko, Kola, Agbado, U-turn etc)

Majority of the so-called roads (streets) are not up to 1km in length, just asphalt no adequate stone base.
Is that what a whole Lagos governor with over a trillion Naira budget should be celebrating?


.

chozzy:
Gov Seyi Makinde of
Oyo State.

Gov Sanwo-Olu looks like the worst.
Recently, he had to arrange a commissioning jamboree of former Gov Ambode's projects
in Ojokoro LCDA for him to look good.

faithfull18:
Oh gosh, see headline.

This honourable mobilised over 50 thugs to attack Maroko Police Station to move those vehicles out . We had to send reinforcement from neighbouring stations before they were able to curtail the situation . That was how he was arrested with five of the thugs , while others escaped. We had to exercise a lot of restraints .

sexiestharam:
Is it Mercy Johnson's husband that built the hotel or Mercy Johnson herself? We all know her house husband is not working and she is the head of the home. Why is she giving her husband the glory for her work?