Salient Questions For South Western States' Security Model Codenamed Amotekun By Mutalubi Ojo Adebayo

The Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation was right only to the extent of tagging the outfit “Amotekun” as presently constituted as being illegal. However, he has no rights or powers whatsoever to declare it illegal as only a court of competent jurisdiction can do that.

The South-West Governors ought to have sought and received legal opinions and advice from their respective Attorneys-General before embarking on such a laudable move but which they have done in an illegal manner.

It does not matter that one of the South-West Governors is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. In the Ondo State executive council or cabinet as it is presently constituted, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, though a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and a Past President of the Nigerian Bar Association is not the Chief Legal Officer or Chief Legal Adviser to the Ondo State Government. Aketi is just the head of the executive there as the Governor of the State and not a legal practitioner for now in the state. The only person who can speak authoritatively when issues and or matters relating to laws arise in Ondo State or in any other state is the State’s Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice. Besides that, any other opinions or views expressed officially in any state by anybody other than the Attorney-General are mere orbiter dicta and are of no moment.

In 2012, when Oyo State Government under the father of the mordern Oyo State , Senator Abiola Ajimobi wanted to change the face of the state’s security architecture to an enduring and lasting legacy one, after we have perfected the blueprint of what we codenamed ”Operation Burst”, a crack joint security outfit, we sought and applied for the consent of the President and the Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, the then President Gooldluck Ebele Jonathan who graciously approved same for us. The achievements of that efforts are there for posterity to judge, but it is on record and undeniable that Oyo State after the launch of Operation Burst moved away from being a state hitherto known for brigandage and chaos where lives were brutish, short and nasty (Hobbesian state) to become the most peaceful state in Nigeria till 29th May, 2019.

Had it been that we wanted to use our own personnel for the Operation Burst Model instead of relying on the conventional security apparatus of the Federal Government, we would have firstly forwarded a bill for a law to birth same to the Oyo State House of Assembly for passage and subsequent assent by the Governor.

In the Amotekun’s case , same was not done and I make bold to say that all the Governors of the states in the South-West who were parties to the operations goofed in that respect as they have placed the cart before the horse. But it is not too late for them to do the needful.

In 2013, when the security agencies in the state alerted us of the existence of a budding terrorist group in a camp along Iseyin- Shaki road, we got a court order to proscribe the group and same was declared by court to be an illegal outfit and they were dislodged from the camp.

As Hon. Attorney-General of Oyo State at that time, I did not use my discretion as Mr Mallami SAN did and neither were the functions of court usurped by our government.

The Hon. Attorney-General of the Federation obtained a court order to proscribe the El-Zakyzaky’s group which was the way to go and he was applauded by all and sundry for that.

However, his recent pronouncement on the Amotekun security model in which he declared same as illegal is clearly ultra vires of an Attorney-General who knows his onions and worth.

Afenifere and all other groups, bodies and persons goading the South-West Governors should please thread cautiously legally as their various comments are nothing but mere expressions of emotions, sentiments and sensationalism which have no legal basis, and if we may be blunt they are politically jaundiced motivated opinions.

Undoubtedly, South-West and indeed every part of Nigeria need to be secured in view of the total breakdown of security in Nigeria, but must it be done haphazardly and in an illegal manner without doing all things that are necessary for its take-off? It is even clear that the SW Governors are merely playing to the gallery because they are yet to have any framework for the operations of the much touted Amotekun.

And if I may ask –

Where is the operational headquarter of Amotekun?

Where are the respective States’ headquarters?

Who is the Commander In Chief of the operation or its head?

Who are the Operational Commanders?

And who are the footsoldiers or the field officers? And I can go on and on.

Besides the vehicles and the drivers that are displayed, where are the other ingredients?

Dont let us be emotional and we must do away with that feeble defence that because the Hisbah in Kano State did not have any law that birthed it, then , must we also go lawless? Have we forgotten that the Yorubas are the Pace-setters in Nigeria and we are always known and associate with the Rule of Laws and the Due Process of Law? Hence er must not lose that prime position in the scheme of doing things rightly.

Also, we must be very wary of further raising militias and bandits that we wont be able to control in the nearest future as we should remember how a North-East Governor nutured and midwifed the now dreaded Boko Haram into a full blown terrorist group. We should not forget the numbers of innocent souls that were gruesomely murdered by the activities of the Oodua People Congress during their factional rifts under Dr. Fredrick Fasheun and Aare Ona Kakanfo Gani Adams. The South-West Governors can partner with OPC under Aare Gani Adams or with any other group or body for that matter, but it must be well-thought out.

Let us thread softly and follow the laws and the Constitution in heralding the Operation Amotekun to secure the South-West. It must be wholesomely and comprehensively packaged rather than the present fire brigade Amotekun at outfit.

DATED this 18th day of January, 2020 at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi, Kenya.

Asiwaju Mutalubi Ojo Adebayo is the Asiwaju of Ita-Ege & Idi-Aro, Ward 5 of Ibadan South East Local Government Area of Oyo State of Nigeria.

He is a former Attorney General of Oyo state.

He can be reached via Email- adebayoojo90@gmail.com and +234803375495 (WhatsApp only).

Adelabu Pays Condolence Visit, Says Lekan Aare lived a Fulfilled Life

The Oyo state Governorship candidate of All Progressive Congress (APC) in the last year general election, Chief Bayo Adelabu has described Dr. Lekan Aare as a disciplinarian, an accomplished industrialist and an amiable Ibadan enthusiast whose vacuum will be difficult to fill.

Chief Adelabu made this remarks during his condolence visit to the family of the late philanthropist of note Dr Lekan Aare at his residence in Ibadan on Sunday.

According to him, the contributions of Dr Lekan Aare towards the development of Ibadan especially through his educational interventions, humanitarian activities and hospitality business is enormous.

He said that up till his death, Dr Lekan Aare took issues pertaining to development of Ibadan and Oyo state in general as paramount in his heart.

''His efforts towards the upliftment and development of Government College, Ibadan was invaluable as he championed the cause of the school as a patron and the President for almost twenty years ( 1989 - 2006 ).

Adelabu said further "He was quite close to my grandfather, the Late Alhaji Adegoke Adelabu Penkelemesi. He was passionate about Adelabu's political ideology, outside their GCI connection, and kept referring to him as his mentor which inspired him to attend to me at all times"

He prayed to God to give the family of the deceased, the people of Ibadan and the entire state, the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.

Adelabu Visits Akesan Market, Commiserate with Alaafin and Market Women

Bayo Adelabu, the Oyo State APC candidate in the last election, paid a visit to Oyo Town to commiserate with the entire market women of Akesan Market and the Alaafin of Oyo, HRH Oba Lamidi Adeyemi over the infamous inferno which razed the entire historic Akesan market on Sunday morning.

He first visited the Alaafin of Oyo at his palace, where he sympathised with the Yoruba monarch and prayed against such disastrous occurrence, never to happen again. He comforted the market women and men who have lost valuable properties to the unfateful inferno. He prayed against the plan of the evil ones on the people of Oyo and the entire Oyo State as a whole.

He vowed to Alaafin of Oyo and the entire market women present to contribute handsomely and within his capacity to the reconstruction of the market to express his love and solidarity towards the victims of the ghastly inferno.

He thereafter visited the remain of Akesan market and advised them to be strong willed, and that the Almighty Allah will comfort them amid all financial losses and replenish them with multiple folds of their investment.

Akesan Fire Disaster: Adelabu Sympathises with Alaafin and Oyo People

The governorship candidate of All Progressive Congress (APC) in Oyo State during last year general election, Chief Adebayo Adelabu has commiserated with Alaafin of Oyo, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi and all the traders whose properties and wares were affected during the early morning fire that razed the popular Akesan market in the town.

Chief Adelabu described the incident as very unfortunate and prayed that the Almighty Allah will replenish the losses in folds.

"I was deeply touched when I received the news. More disheartening is that the fire service base that is less than 20 metres to the market could not be mobilised to stop the inferno due to dysfunctional equipments. It is high time the government woke up to its responsibilities as what is the essence of a government that cannot protect his people at a critical time of need such as this. I advise that Oyo state government  take a critical look at both the immediate and remote causes of this incident as well as circumstances surrounding the lack of capacity of the fire service personnel to rise to the occasion, with a view to preventing future re-occurence"

"I appeal to the affected traders to remain calm and be conscious of what they do especially during this harmattan period. I promise to visit shortly and extend little assistance within my personal capacity as a show of love to and solidarity with those affected".