OPC, others give support as Operation Amotekun goes into action

Local hunters and Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) members who will
serve in the Joint Southwest security outfit Operation Amotekun
will not beer arms, it was learnt on Wednesday, According to
TheNation reports.^[1]

Osun State Governor Adegboyega Oyetola stated this in
Osogbo.

Speaking through his Chief Press Secretary Mr. Ismail Omipidan,
Oyetola explained: “It is not that we want to arm the local
militias. “the idea behind it (Operation Amotekun) is not
necessarily to arm the locals. We are fashioning it after the
Civilian JTF in the Northeast.” “The level of success recorded in
the fight against Boko Haram was made possible by the support and
cooperation of the Civilian JTF because they are the locals who
gather intelligence and know their areas better than anybody.”

The governor’s spokesman added: “Before now, we had prepared
ground for the launch. We acquired the vehicles which are fully
branded and equipped with communication gadgets.

“A helipad to assist the security agents for air surveillance is
about 97 per cent completed. The personnel have also been
recruited.”

Vehicles to be used by the operatives started arriving Ibadan,
the Oyo State capital, on Wednesday in preparation for Thursday’s
inauguration.

Read Also: Amotekun
The event will take place at the Governor’s office premises in
state secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan today.

The Nation correspondent sighted many of the branded vehicles
from Ondo and Osun states as they were driven into the state
secretariat at about noon. Those of Ekiti State were said to be on
the way at the time of filing this report.

Those of Lagos and Ogun states were expected last night or this
morning before the commencement of the ceremony.

The Director-General, Development Agenda for Western Nigeria
(DAWN) Commission, Mr Seye Oyeleye, who was in high spirit, said:
“We are definitely going ahead with the ceremony
tomorrow(today).”

The Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Chief Gani Adams expressed
optimism that Operation Amotekun would help put to an end,
criminality in the region.

Adams, a co-founder of OPC told reporters in Lagos yesterday
that the initiative was long overdue.

He said: “Don’t forget I was one of those that pushed them
(governments in the region) to do this security summit before they
now decided to initiate Amotekun.

”I can tell you authoritatively that Yoruba people are happy
with this initiative. Whoever criticise Amotekun is either a sadist
or a person without values. Anybody that is against this initiative
is an enemy of the Southwest; and if anything untoward should
happen in this region, such a person should be held responsible.
“

Adams likened Operation Amotekun to a child of circumstance,
saying it represents a traditional way the Yoruba secure their
domain.

He added: “Amotekun is not the real state police we are asking
for but I just see it as a temporary means of tackling crimes in
the Southwest.

”Ordinarily, we agitate for state police but if we don’t have
state police now, something has to be done because state police can
bring constitutional issues that may lead to an amendment to the
Constitution. But a security outfit that will be controlled by the
state governments is highly needed now.”

Adams also claimed to be in possession of some intelligence that
certain forces from Chad, Libya, Mali and Niger had infiltrated the
Southwest.

He lamented that security threats in the region had gone beyond
kidnapping and herdsmen crises.

He said: “But Operation Amotekun will solve so many issues even
beyond the herdsmen crises. We also have information that some
Yoruba have connived with these criminal elements and are giving
them information as to who they should kidnap to get money.

”What the governors are doing now concerning Amotekun is in the
interest of Yoruba land. We have to support them. Once this is
launched, you will see that within one month, criminals will
retreat because the Southwest will no longer be a safe haven for
them.”

The National Youth Council of Nigerian (NYCN) believes that
Operation Amotekun will help flush out criminals from the
region.

The NYCN which is the umbrella body of youths commended the
Southwest governors for the initiative.

“We must commend the governors of the six states of the
Southwest for coming up with this initiative. We believe that
Operation Amotekun will address kidnapping, armed robberies and
help flush out criminal elements that had held the region hostage,”
its Vice President, Southwest, Olamide Odumosu, said in a
statement.

The idea of Operation Amotekun was mooted during a security
summit organised by the DAWN in July 2019 at the height of
kidnapping and other criminal activities in the Southwest.

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