The Federal government in a statement by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister for Justice, Abubakar Malami last Tuesday, January 14, declared Amotekun, a security outfit set up by the South Western States, illegal. Governors of the six South Western States in Nigeria had on January 9, launched ‘Operation Amotekun’, as a joint neighbourhood security outfit to aid in securing lives and property in the region, following series of killings and kidnappings attributed to herdsmen in the area. The security outfit reportedly comprises members of the Oodua Peoples Congress, local vigilante groups in the States and local hunters. However, Malami, in the statement described the creation of the group as a nullity, stating that the Federal government was not carried along in the process of establishing the group. He added that the establishment of any army, the police and other security outfits are contained in the exclusive list, and the power can only be exercised by the Federal Government.
Many individuals and groups have lauded the creation of Amotekun, as a form of community policing and a much needed support for the security agencies, particularly the police, which are overwhelmed by security challenges in the country. Observers reiterate the authority of State Governors as Chief Security Officers of the States. The governments of the affected States have also reacted to the position of the Federal government, with some threatening legal action against the declaration. The Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi speaking at a media dialogue session on Thursday, 16th January 2020, stated that national security agencies were duly informed before the establishment of Amotekun. He added that the security outfit was established to complement, and not replace existing security agencies. Speaking on the issue, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State stated that the office of the Attorney General of the Federation has no right to declare Amotekun illegal. Some however, worry that the regional security outfit may be an ethnic militia, whose operations are targeted at the activities of specific ethnic groups, and have also likened it to proscribed groups in the country.
Meanwhile, the States in the region appear poised to pass laws in their respective State Houses of Assembly, to provide legal backing for the establishment of Amotekun, as well as define its sphere of operation and the limits of its powers.