Featured, Security
By Anayo Ezugwu
AS southwest governors prepare to unveil Operation Amotekun on Thursday, January 9, Iba Gani Adams, Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, and leader of the Odua Peoples Congress, has revealed that three states have contacted him on how to run the operations in their respective states. Amotekun is the security outfit being floated by governors of the South West to tackle security challenges in the region along side the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies.
In an exclusive interview with Realnews in Lagos on Wednesday, January 8, Adams said he was expecting other governors to also reach out to him. He also confirmed that Oodua People’s Congress, OPC, is now part of Operation Amotekun.
“As of today, we have been contacted by three states, which are Ondo, Ekiti and Osun. But we are expecting others to contact us. They just have to start because apart from the issues of technicalities that the Development Agenda of Western Nigeria, DAWN Commission is working on, the process has not started.
“There will be an inaugural ceremony tomorrow to unveil it. After unveiling it, the proper recruitment will follow. But some of the governors have been making contact. I was invited yesterday afternoon by the DAWN commission. The way things are going after the inauguration tomorrow the process and recruitment will follow,” he said.
Despite being in support of Amotekun, Adams disagreed with the governors that the operation will be for only intelligence gathering in the region in order to address security challenges in the region. “I read in the newspapers that Amotekun is for intelligence gathering which I disagree with. It must go beyond intelligence gathering.
“All the security agencies have their informants before Amotekun. The police are being given money in their vote to give to their informants. The SSS has their own informants too. Every security agency has their intelligence gathering operatives from the beginning. So why should you say that Amotekun is just for intelligence gathering. The civilian JTF in Borno and northeast are they being used for intelligence gathering alone? The Hisbah Corps in Kano, are they only for intelligence gathering? The Zamfara vigilante group is it only for intelligence gathering? We have problem here that we must solve it.
“They should go beyond intelligence gathering. Hunters are not for intelligence gathering because they carry arms from time immemorial. In the bush, will you say hunters should lay down their arms and be working as informants where they could face criminals with AK47 and sophisticated weapons?”
– Jan. 8, 2020 @ 18:12 GMT |
Tags: Operation Amotekun: 3 governors contact OPC Leader
