How Malami forced Amotekun to change its spots

The Western Nigeria Security Network codenamed Amotekun has gone through a makeover. It is no longer a regional outfit.

According to the governors of the six states of the South-west on Thursday, Amotekun security initiative is now state-based.

The announcement came after the governors met with the Inspector-General Police, Mohammed Adamu, at the Lagos State House, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos.

At the meeting on Thursday was Rotimi Akeredolu, Ondo State governor and Chairman of the Southwest Governors’ Forum and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State.

Other governors in the region were represented by deputy governors Rauf Olaniyan (Oyo); Noimot Salako-Oyedele (Ogun); Benedict Alabi (Osun) and Bisi Egbeyemi (Ekiti).

Also present at the meeting were commissioners of police, attorneys-general and commissioners for justice from the six states, representatives of other security agencies, monarchs, and representatives of Community Development Committees (CDCs).

State’s houses of assemblies in the region have sped up effort to pass the bill legalising the initiative into law as fast as possible, since the issue of legality generated some controversies when AGF Abubakar Malami pointed that out.

Ondo, Oyo states, Ogun and Osun are at different stages of the passage.

“It is clear that community policing which the Nigeria police is anchoring, is one that will benefit all of us from the ward up to the state level,”  Akeredolu said on Thursday, adding that stakeholders have now agreed to embrace community policing in its entirety.

“We have made things clear to everybody and we want all of us to know now that when we said we are having Amotekun, it is not that we are creating a regional police. Amotekun is not a regional police.”