The federal government on Tuesday January 14 declared the new South West paramilitary outfit Amotekun illegal, saying it is not backed by any known law.
The prohibition came five days after the inauguration of Amotekun by the six South West governors, witnessed by prominent personalities from the region.
A statement signed by Umar Gwandu, Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations to federal Attorney General and Justice Minister, Abubakar Malami, insisted that defence and security are on the exclusive list.
“The setting up of the paramilitary organisation called “Amotekun” is illegal and runs contrary to the provisions of the Nigerian law,” the statement clarified.
The statement added: “The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) has established the Army, Navy and Air Force, including the police and other numerous paramilitary organisations for the purpose of the defence of Nigeria.
“As a consequence of this, no state government, whether singly or in a group, has the legal right and competence to establish any form of organisation or agency for the defence of Nigeria or any of its constituent parts.
“This is sanctioned by the provision of Item 45 of the Second Schedule of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) authorising the police and other federal government security services established by law to maintain law and order.
“The law will take its natural course in relation to excesses associated with organisation, administration and participation in ‘Amotekun’ or continuous association with it as an association.
“Finally, it is important to put on record that the office of the attorney general and minister of justice was not consulted on the matter.
“If it had, proper information and guidance would have been offered to ensure that Nigeria’s defence and corporate entity are preserved at all times.”
The launch of Amotekun generates diverse responses.
At an event held on Monday January 13 at Muson Centre in Lagos to commemorate the 50 years of the end of the civil war, tagged ‘Never Again’, Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka declared his support for Amotekun.
He described it as a “pleasant New Year gift” which shows that the “yearnings of Nigerians are prevailing.”
The commemoration of the end of the civil war was organised by Ndigbo Lagos, an umbrella body of the Igbo living in Lagos; and Nzuko Umunna, another Igbo socio-cultural group; in conjunction with civil society to discuss the way forward for Nigeria.
Others who attended the event included Professor Anya O. Anya; Yoruba World Congress leader, Professor Banji Akintoye; Professor Pat Utomi; Major General Obi Umahi (rtd); Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe; Dr. Alex Oti; and Onyeka Onwenu.
The setting enabled them to reminisce on the woes of the civil war which ended on January 15, 1970 after inflicting one of the worst civil strife known to mankind.
Among those present at the unveiling of Amotekun on January 9 were Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi; Governors Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo); and Seyi Makinde (Oyo).
They also included the deputy governors of Lagos, Ogun and Osun States, as well as other important personalities from the region like Akintoye and the Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi.
Amotekun promoters pitched that it would reinforce security infrastructure against rising banditry, armed robbery, kidnapping, herdsmen invasion, and other threats to the security of life and property in the South West.
They also looked at the economic benefits of the outfit.
More than 120 patrol vehicles and hundreds of motorbikes had been commissioned for the outfit, headed by Fatai Owoseni, a retired commissioner of police.
South West leaders demonstrated they were more than ready to take their destiny in their own hands. But the plan has sparked a debate across the country. So, we need deeper interrogation of Amotekun.
Former military President Ibrahim Babangida argued on Channels Television Newsnight on January 13 that South West governors should have convinced the federal government to earmark funds to curb insecurity in the region.
His words: “It is not viable because they are quarreling with minimum pay, now they create another force that you must equip them, pay them salaries, and give them all the needed welfare, which is going to be a problem for the states, where will they get the money to do that?
“If they had succeeded in convincing the federal government to put up some part of the revenue for the purposes of that, but if they take it on themselves, it is going to be a problem.
“I think what they need to do is have a closer look at this; we have a lot of security outfits, and I think it is to assign specific responsibilities. That will take away the burden, they wouldn’t be stretched.”
On Sunday January 12 while featuring ThisdayLive programme on Arise Television, not one of the three discussants lined up by the anchor, Reuben Abati, differed with the other that 50 years after civil war, it seems the war is still very much on.
The discussants were Professor Bola Akinterinwa, former director general of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA); Professor Victor Ariola of the Department of French and Franchophone Studies, University of Lagos; and Chike Ogeah, former Delta State information commissioner.
They all agreed that the Rehabilitation, Reconstitution and Reconstruction (three Rs) policy as enunciated by former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon, after General Philip Effiong surrendered Biafra to the Nigerian government on January 12, 1970 have not had the desired impact on the secessionist camp.
They identified leadership failure as being at the root of the shoddy implementation of the three Rs. Successive Nigerian leaders since the end of the civil war have continued to view the South East as a conquered region.
The leaders implement to the fullest what they read or are told about The Forty-eight Laws of Power by Robert Greene, particularly Law 15 of the book.
“Crush your enemy totally …. All great leaders since Moses have known that a feared enemy must be crushed completely …. If one ember is left alight, no matter how dimly it smoulders, a fire will eventually break out.
“More is lost through stopping halfway than through total annihilation: the enemy will recover and will seek revenge. Crush him, not only in body but in spirit,” Law 15 says.
Regional security outfits in Nigeria are as problematic as national leadership itself. Before the war, group self-preservation took centre stage against true federalism.
The same clamour for regional self-preservation has not abated. From the East, West, North and South, the tale is the same. There is agitation for one thing or another because the federal government fails to live up to expectation.
But the more the clamour, the more Abuja descends heavily on the ethnic nationalities involved in an erroneous understanding that such agitations are anti-thetical to Nigerian unity which frowns at secession.
What the federal government fails to realise is that the longstanding agitation for state or community policing will one day find expression in the blossoming of grassroots popularity of regional security schemes like Amotekun.
The Odua People’s Congress (OPC) founded by Fredrick Fasheun and Ganiyu Adams provided operational flavour with which South West residents slept with their two eyes closed amid security challenges in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Even with the existence of the OPC, there is insecurity in the South West in particular and Nigeria in general despite assurances by Abuja that all is well.
National security as currently constituted does not have all the answers to the security needs of citizens and may not support agitation for people or community-oriented arrangement.
The root of ethnic security outfits is the non-allegiance of the country to the tenets of true federalism that demand that federating units get more involved in how they protect themselves in line with the Constitution.
Our recourse to unitary Constitution as opposed to federal Constitution which heaps all powers on the centre and makes federating units to appear beggarly where they ought to call the shots, including in security matters, has done more harm to Nigeria than good.
It is no longer sustainable for the police to have one inspector general who oversees all personnel that cater for the security needs of more than 190 million Nigerians.
The need for a state police or the more modern variant of community police cannot be over emphasised. Abuja should not drag its feet over state or community police as doing so will encourage zonal security arrangement.
Most ethnic nationalities feel more secure in their geo-ethnic locations with local security outfits, whether they are called vigilance groups or operate under any other acronym.
Matters are made worse as those at the helm of national security affairs no longer command the respect, trust and loyalty of citizens.
The sentiment out there with Amotekun is that the South West has set the pace for a more community inclusive way of protecting the people. Many laud the idea and a lot of ethnic nationalities want to borrow a leaf from the South West.
Malami must realise that the current security arrangement where the federating units cannot help themselves and the centre also cannot help them is dangerous and unsustainable.
The part of the Constitution that says the people should put up with security outfits, whether army, police, navy, air force or any other para-military organ that appear ineffective ought to worry Malami.
Across the length and breadth of the country, banditry, armed robbery, kidnapping, herdsmen menace and other forms of insecurity have spiked the minds of the people to wonder if the government still understands its role to protect lives and property.
If Nigerians are being mowed down by marauding criminals who pretend to be herdsmen or are into outright kidnapping, robbery and banditry without reprieve coming their way why should Amotekun not be handy?
Regional security organs whittle down the potency of the national types, but who exactly should be blamed?
Amotekun is a welcome development if the federal government can look into areas of supervision that will not conflict with that of conventional security outfits when it comes to arrest and prosecution.
If the intension of South West leaders is just to protect their territory without sinister motive, like training a militia group or youths for political purposes, then Amotekun is welcome, particularly as the national security agencies are overwhelmed.
And on the fear of floating a para-military body, Akeredolu may have answered the question.
He said: “We, the six South West governors are fully prepared to ensure that operation Amotekun succeeds. Amotekun is not a para-military outfit, the introduction of the security outfit is to complement the efforts of other security agencies.
“We are prepared to ensure the operation Amotekun succeeds. Operation Amotekun is not a para-military outfit.
“It is in our quest to further curtail the menace of kidnapping, banditry and other crimes in Ondo State and the entire Southwest region that we launched Operation Amotekun.
“It is one of the many solutions being proffered to our security challenges in Western Nigeria.
“We want to assure you that the activities of the personnel working for the outfit will be monitored and streamlined along with their mandate of securing lives and property of people of Ondo State and entire Western Nigeria and it will not be used for political purposes.”