Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, in a text message to one of the national daily’s last night held that the federal government will soon take its position on “Amotekun”.
It would
be recalled that few days ago, the South-west governors formed alliance and set
up Western Nigeria Security Network (WNSN), code-named ‘Operation Amotekun’,
the federal government said last night it was analysing the development and
would make its position known soon.
But the Nigeria Bar Association
(NBA) advised the South-west governors and other drivers of Amotekun to publish
the operation manual of the security initiative, a move it said would clarify
all grey areas about its constitutionality.
Nonetheless, some Senior Advocates
of Nigeria (SAN) declared their support for the security initiative by the
South-west governors, saying they have upheld the constitution of the country.
The leadership of the Indigenous
People of Biafra (IPOB) commended the South-west governors for seizing the
initiative to protect their people, unlike their South-east counterparts.
However, the Northern Youths Council
of Nigeria (NYCN) faulted the creation of Amotekun in the South-west, claiming
it is not different from the outlawed IPOB and can be described as the military
wing of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC).
Sharing the concerns of the Northern
youths, herdsmen and cattle rearers in the South-west also cautioned against
deploying Amotekun as a tool for persecuting the Fulani people in the region,
saying while the initiative is a welcomed development, it should not be
targeted at the Fulani in the region.
Malami, asked his views on the
launch of the security initiative, stated in the text message, “It is about
analysing the scope of the functions of Amotekun within the constitutional
spirit of exclusive legislative list or otherwise.”
Asked further if the federal
government was going to make its position known soon on the development and,
perhaps, clarify the grey areas, his response was short and straight to the
point: “Yes, please!”
