TRACKING______The Aare Ona Kankanfo of Yoruba Land, Iba Gani Adams has said that South West security outfit, codenamed ‘Amotekun’ would attract more investors into the zone and improve the nation’s economy.
Adams, spoke with newsmen after A-Day Stakeholders’ Forum on “A Bill for a Law to Amend the Lagos State Neighborhood Safety Corps Agency Law, 2019 to Establish Lagos Amotekun Corps”.
Our Correspondent reports that the Public Hearing was organised by the Lagos State House of Assembly’s House Committee on Information, Strategy and Security headed by Hon. Tunde Braimoh.
“Amotekun is a welcome development, psychologically it will send signal to the criminals that Yoruba people are ready to maintain law and order and complement the efforts security agencies in Nigeria.
“As a matter of fact if South-West is well secured, the investors will troop in to the zone and it will be an advantage to the economy of Nigeria. If the economy of the country is booming, it is not only the South West that will benefit from it.
“The common wealth will be shared to other regions,” the Aare said.
According to him, the outfit will give an opportunity for various people in their communities to secure their areas and gather intelligence for the other security organisations and even the government agencies.
“Amotekun is not meant to or going to harm any ethnic nationality. Amotekun is not an enemy of non-Yoruba people. The non Yoruba people have been residing in Lagos for more than 200 years.
“We are not tribalistic and we believe in justice and fair play. We believe that irrespective of where you come from, you are a Lagosians, you are a Westerner in as much that you are not a criminal.
“When you are a criminal, you are an enemy of Amotekun; you are enemy of Yoruba land. By the time you are leaving and believing in law and order, there won’t be a problem.
“I am telling you categorical, the fear of some people is that we are trying to create a state police, it is not,” he added.
He said that the governor and the parliament requested the Nigeria Police to license the operatives of Amotekun with guns.
He urged the pessimist to come to terms with the benefit the creation of Amotekun will bring to the nation.
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The Aare noted that some statements from some group about the outfit, especially Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN) were provocative.
Adams said that the South West would remain focused and resist every prompt to react.
He said that Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) was feared by most of the pessimists about the outfit.
The Aare commended Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State and the Lagos State House of Assembly for the public hearing on the outfit, saying it was for the good of the Yoruba race.
He said that the outfit would feature members of OPC, hunters, vigilante, Agbekoya, Lagos State Neighborhood Safety Corps (LNSC), saying that the LNSC could not do it alone.
“This is a conventional way of empowering the Amotekun to face the hardened criminals. This is not about watching, giving intelligence reports to police, but about confronting hardened criminals who want to destroy, kill and cause nuisance to our region.
“All groups that are good about security issues should be employed into the outfit. It is not about OPC. All Yoruba groups that are about security should secure Yoruba land,” he said.
Speaking to newsmen, Braimoh said that security of lives and property in Yoruba land remained non negotiable and the people’s representatives in the Lagos Assembly have prioritised security and welfare of the people.
The chairman, who commended the support and contributions of religious organisations, civil society groups, opposition parties like Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) among others, described their remarks as ‘brilliant’ and thought provoking’.
Our Correspondent reports that the stakeholders’ meeting was well attended by all stakeholders.
