South-West assemblies set to treat Amotekun Bill next week

Two weeks after South-West governors agreed with the Federal Government on the need to draw up a legal framework for Amotekun, the Attorney General of the Oyo State, Prof Oyewole Oyewo, says the South-West Houses of Assembly are ready to treat Amotekun Bill next weeks.

Oyewo says the attorneys general of the six South-West states have completed work on the draft of the bill.

The Oyo state attorney general said this at a meeting attended the attorneys general of Ondo State, Adekola Olawoye; Osun State, Oluwafemi Akande; Ekiti State, Olawale Fapohunda; and Ogun State, Akingbolahan Adeniran.

While speaking in Ibadan shortly after a meeting of the region’s attorneys general, Oyewo said, “The carrying of arms is legislated by law and the Amotekun outfit will comply with all the laws of the land. We have an operational manual that will also be passed as part of the legal framework for each of the states.

“We deliberated on the plan to evolve a collaborative security network/agency in the South-West. We have been able to come up with a legal framework to back up the establishment of the security network in each of the states.

“Each of the states will have its own legislation and its own security network outfit that will bear the name Amotekun Corps. There will be a standard operational procedure that will also be in common and there will be an avenue for collaboration between the states.

“The security network will be working in collaboration and as a complementary network with the police and the security agencies and armed forces. We will be depending on our local people because of local intelligence. You can say it is community policing, vigilante but this security system has come to stay.

“The draft bills will proceed to the State Houses of Assembly of each of the states and will be signed into law by the governors of each state. That is where we are now.”

Following a back and forth between the Federal Government and South-west governors over the constitutionality of Amotekum, the FG and the regional governors reached an agreement at a meeting in Abuja on Thursday, January 23, 2020.