Amotekun Now A State-Based Initiative

The Amotekun Initiative will no longer operate as a regional one but as a state operation, this follows the agreement governors of the South-Western states came to with the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu.

Amotekun was introduced as a regional outfit on 9 January by the six states in the South-West in an effort to combat the rising insecurity in the country.

The intriduction of the initiave was met with criticisms mostly from the North, with the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, being the face of the opposition, saying that the security framework was "illegal" and that the Federal Government has the exclusive right to protecting the lives of Nigerians.

A meeting was later held with the Federal Government to navigate the operations of the proposed security outfit, and on Thursday, the Inspector General with the South-Western governors met and agreed that the Amotekun initiative will be a state-based initiave.

Chairman of the South-West Governors Forum, Rotimi Akeredolu, described the meeting with the IGP as one of "great importance," adding that "We have spoken and we want everyone to know that, Amotekun was not conceived as a regional police, but a state-based security outfit.

“We have come out of this meeting happy and we have agreed on the resolution. We have shed lights on dark areas and we are on the same page with the police with respect to these issues.”

Mohammed Adamu, speaking on the initiave and the resolution, said, “Amotekun is not a regional security outfit. Every state has one form of security arrangement, whether it is vigilante or neighbourhood watch that are working security agencies in the states to fight crime.

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“Amotekun is not different from these initiatives. We have agreed that community policing strategy be infused into the Amotekun structure, so that policing will be initiative of the community members.”