Gov Akeredolu signs Amotekun bill into law in Ondo
- Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo state is the first southwest governor to sign the Amotekun bill into law
- The governor has been one of the consistent and vocal supporters of the security outfit
- The former NBA chairman has now matched his words with actions by being the first among his colleagues to sign the bill into law
Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo state on Wednesday, March 4, signed the Ondo State Security Network and Amotekun Corps Bill into law.
The governor's action comes a day after the Ondo state House of Assembly passed the bill.
The signing took place at the state’s executive council chambers in Akure, the state capital.
“The Amotekun Corps is not an independent regional outfit but a complementary effort by the governors of the south-west to engender unity, peace and security,” the governor said.
“Most importantly, the corps shall not be allowed for political purposes; it has no business at political rallies just as the police must continue to discharge its obligations and responsibilities to the people,” he added.
Similarly, the Oyo state House of Assembly on Tuesday, March 3, passed the Oyo State Security Network Agency Bill, 2020 codenamed Operation Amotekun.
The bill was considered clause by clause before the third reading and final adoption and passage, even as the lawmakers added local and traditional flavour to the historic bill by wearing customised outfits in the shade of leopard skin.
On the same day, the Lagos state House of Assembly passed the bill on Amotekun after it scaled the third reading by the lawmakers.
While the other states House of Assembly in the region enacted theirs as a new bill, the lawmakers at the Lagos Assembly agreed to amend an existing law on the Neighbourhood Safety Corps to accommodate Amotekun.
The bill was also passed in Ogun state House of Assembly on the same day.
Recall that the southwest Houses of Assembly turned down the demand by the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) to participate in the operation of Amotekun.
During one of the public hearings organised by the Oyo state House of Assembly, MACBAN expressed its support for the establishment of the security outfit but proposed that it should have its members participate in the Amotekun corps.
The chairman of the Oyo state House of Assembly, Olayanju Qozeem, said that the request was not even considered in the final analysis.
A former minister of aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode had said: “Recruiting Miyetti Allah into Amotekun is like recruiting demons into an army of angels.
“It's like recruiting hyenas into an army of lions. It's like recruiting vultures into an army of eagles. It's like recruiting sharks into an army of dolphins.”
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Meanwhile, the Igbo National Council (INC) has issued a 90 days ultimatum to the governors of the southeast region to inaugurate their own regional security outfit.
The Igbo socio-cultural group took the decision after its recent meeting attended by its members from 20 states across the nation.
Reading a communiqué after the meeting, the national president of INC, Chilos Godsent condemned what he described as the “naked cowardice exhibited by the governors of the southeast geopolitical zone.”
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