Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
The Patron of the Yoruba Community in Benue State, Asiwaju Isaac Akinkunmi, has said that the recently launched security outfit by South-West governors codenamed ‘Operation Amotekun’ is not the solution to the rising spate of insecurity in the region.
Akinkunmi who spoke with reporters on Thursday in Makurdi said the governors should rather press for the creation of state police forces as a better solution to checking criminality in the country.
“Amotekun is not the solution but state police is the solution. The governors should press for the creation of state police. In civilized societies across the world, there’s nothing like vigilante. We should stop paying lip service to issues of our security.”
Akinkunmi, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Tito Group of Companies, said that apart from being illegal, the security outfit cannot be effective.
“Operation Amotekun cannot be effective because they are not allowed to legally carry arms. Are they going to face kidnappers with bows and arrows or their so-called charms?
While noting that the Amotekun security outfit was a good effort directed wrongly, Akinkunmi said the concept of the governors providing security for their area is laudable but should not be through Amotekun.
“These young boys who are recruited into Amotekun will just be wasted if they are made to face the heavily armed criminals that have perpetually put the region under siege. Are they going to use charms or what to confront the AK-47 wielding criminals?
“The solution is state police and later local government police. The governors should not waste their time challenging the declaration of Amotekun illegal by the Chief Justice of Nigeria in court. That’s not the solution,” he said.
He urged the governors to rather direct their efforts towards reviewing the constitution to allow for the creation of state and local government police forces.
“Events have shown and are still showing that the Nigeria Police alone cannot secure the country because the country is too large for one police command.
“Less than 20 per cent of Nigeria has access to police protection and that is the reason you see that criminals hardly go to attack banks in the cities, but go to the hinterlands to attack,” Akinkunmi stated.