…caution Fayemi, South West govs over regional security outfit
A coalition of Yoruba groups, under the aegis of Yoruba Appraisal Forum, continurd its pressure of the governors of the South West zone not to sign the Amotekun security Bill which has been passed by all the State Assemblies from the zone’
The group which had earlier raised concerns and allegations that the security outfit could be hijacked by certain individuals against its main purpose of securing the people, has further appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to take urgent and decisive actions against Amotekun, so as to check imminent bloodshed in the region and Nigeria at large.
The coalition stressed that President Buhari must take urgent steps now to prevent the threat Amotekun’s operations would pose to human lives and property of all residents in the region, including the Yoruba.
It also warned the Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, and the governors of the five other states in the region to exercise restraint in promoting the South West security outfit, warning that its operations could spell doom for the region.
The Yoruba coalition which staged an anti Amotekun protest across the South West last week said it would also maintain and press for its demands through another planned protest at Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, on Tuesday.
It warned Fayemi and the governors of the five other South West states to tread cautiously in giving their support to Amotekun to avoid a situation where they would end up regretting their actions.
The group which has already forwarded their anti Amotekun petition to President Muhammadu Buhari; Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the leadership of the National Assembly and the Service Chiefs over alleged hijack of the newly launched South West Security outfit, popularly called Amotekun, by some individuals for sinister purposes, warned that the operation, if implemented by the governors would turn out to be injurious to the corporate existence of Nigeria.
A communique issued at the end of the coalition’s meeting in Lagos and made available to newsmen alleged that unknown to most Nigerians, including those in authority, some unscrupulous individuals have hijacked the initiative to achieve their own selfish and sinister purposes.
In a communique signed by the Convener Comrade Adeshina Animashaun “Although the intention of those who originally conceived the idea of Amotekun was a noble one, as they set out to protect the people of the region against criminal elements causing wanton destruction of lives and property, the idea has been hijacked and now intended for purposes that could be injurious to the continued corporate existence of Nigeria. We have uncovered plans to use Amotekun to destabilise the South West and ultimately the entire country.
“It’s an incontrovertible fact that in the event of any chaos in the South West, people from other parts of the country residing in the region- Igbo, Hausa and others- will bear the brunt as no one can guarantee the safety of their persons, business and investments in Yorubaland.
“The current promoters (hijackers) of the idea, unbeknownst to the South West governors and the innocent people of the region, who see it as a new force to provide them adequate security against the activities of criminal elements, since the police seem overwhelmed by the security challenges across the country, have through devious means, subtle and outright naked threat, taken over Amotekun for the purpose of achieving their selfish agenda of dismembering Nigeria; of course, in collaboration with their foreign sponsors. The indications to this are very clear.”
“The South West governors are ignorant by throwing their weight and resources behind a security outfit whose real motive they are not aware of.
“We make bold to say that the reality is that Amotekun is an instrument to perpetrate crime and make political gains for a few individuals masquerading as having the love of the people of the region at heart.
