As part of efforts aimed at ensuring that the agitation for the creation of state police becomes a reality, the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has opined that there is the need for a security system that is localised, knowledgeable about the culture and security situation of a particular community, hence the establishment of the Western Nigeria Security Network, codenamed: “Amotekun.”
The governor bore his mind Tuesday while speaking at the 7th annual lecture series in commemoration of the birthday of the former Minority Whip of the House of Representatives and a two-term member of the House, Babatunde Oduyoye, held at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan.
The governor, while speaking on the theme: “Security and National Unity in Difficult Times,” stressed that the challenge of insecurity in Nigeria has become frightening and is getting all and sundry concerned.
Fayemi noted that if the federal government must tackle the security challenges confronting the country, it must be prepared to declare bandits, terrorists and kidnappers as criminals regardless of their geographical indication.
The guest lecturer stressed that it has become imperative to amend the constitution to empower the various security initiatives to be able to respond to the current challenges in the country.
His words: “The challenge of insecurity in Nigeria is frightening and is getting all of us concerned. At the dawn of the current democratic dispensation in 1999, the major concern of security experts was the staccato of ethnic and religious violence that was common then, that was before the dawn of the Niger-Delta militancy which took almost a decade.
“A new phenomenon in insecurity however waded in with the violent campaign of Boko Haram activities in many parts of the north.”
“Added to this is Nigeria’s extensive and porous borders covering over 4000 kilometres littered with illegal entry points and routes totalling 1500 points.”
“With the porous borders, criminal gangs and terrorist insurgents could easily stroll in with smuggled weapons into the country which in turn are sold to sea pirates, cultists, armed robbers, kidnappers, bandits and other purveyors of violence in the Nigerian state.”
“The creation of Amotekun can only be a precursor to this. We need a security system that is localised, knowledgeable about the culture and security situation of a particular community.”
“But we need to amend the constitution to empower the various security initiatives to be able to respond to the current challenges.”
“For example, despite not possessing Ak47 which the bandits possess, Amotekun operatives have been courageous to confront them in the forest and have successfully rescued victims of kidnapping and arrested the criminals in some instances.”
“Yet, these people are at best, volunteer corps with encouragement stipend paid to them. They don’t earn as much as the conventional police, yet they are better motivated to throw themselves to the protection of the community where they have their wives, children and families.”
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