All is set for the commencement of Operation Amotekun, the Western Nigeria Security Network (WNSN).

The legal hurdle which is delaying its take-off will be cleared this week.

Houses of Assembly in the six states – Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti – are expected to pass the regional security outfit’s operational bill for the governors to give assent on Friday.

Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi announced the decision of the governors to make the outfit operational, when he received the bill’s draft from Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Olawale Fapounda (SAN).

Operation Amotekun was launched by the governors on January 9 in Ibadan but Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister for Justice Abubakar Malami, declared the outfit illegal.

He said the Constitution has no room for a regional security outfit. He also said security is on the Exclusive list.

But the governors insisted that it was the only way for them to protect their people from kidnapping for ransom and other violent crimes.

Following Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s intervention on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari, it was agreed that each of the states should legalise the security outfit.

Consequently, attorneys-general in the six states met to draft a bill while the speakers of Houses of Assembly agreed to give the bill accelerated passage.

The bill will be considered on the floor of the Oyo State House of Assembly today, Chairman, House Committee on Information, Kazeem Olayanju.

The Lagos State House of Assembly said it is awaiting the Bill from the Attorney-General’s office. A principal officer gave the assurance that it will be given expeditions consideration.

Osun State Governor Adegboyega Oyetola said the bill will go to the House of Assembly this week.”

Speaking through his Chief Press Secretary, Ismail Omipidan, he added: “I want to make it abundantly clear that Amotekun has nothing to do with religion. It has no religious colouration. Those who are insinuating that it is aimed at elevating one religion over the other are probably being misinformed about the origin of Amotekun. Crime, rape, banditry have no religion and tribe.”

He said the recruitment for the outfit in the state will be done at the local government level.

“The local governments in the state will be responsible for the recruitment of the personnel that will form the bulk of the security outfit.

“The chairman and the traditional rulers know the people in their domain to be recruited into the outfit and I believe that none of them will deliberately compromise the security of their people.”

He implored citizens to be assured that his government is for everybody and will not do anything to undermine the peaceful coexistence in the state.

Omipidan spoke on a Rave Fm Osogbo radio programme.

Oyo State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Gbolahan Adeniran said the Bill is expected to be presented at the Executive Council meeting today for approval and transmission to the House of Assembly.

Fapounda said the content of the bill would be put on Ekiti State House of Assembly Ministry of Justice website for those who have observations to make their views known.

According to him, the Amotekun bill has 38 provisions “painstakingly prepared”, with specifications for each of the states which outline the operational guidelines.

The key provisions in the bill include its functions and objectives, the creation and the composition of the governing board for the agency, establishment of Amotekun corps including its powers, criteria for enlistment into the corps, and several other needs.

There is also provision for independent Amotekun corps complaints board. The purpose of the board is to provide an opportunity for our people to report instances or possible cases of abuse of power including violation of rights and corruption. There is also provisions on the funding of the corps to ensure sustainability.

Fayemi debunked insinuations that Amotekun is targeting a particular ethnic group.

“A lot of people have misconstrued the essence of the Amotekun security network. It is not about an exclusive protection of indigene of the Southwest. It is about safety and security of every person resident in the six states of the Southwest, regardless of where they might have come from. As long as there are legitimately and legally resident in every part of the states, we consider it our duty, we consider it our responsibility to protect them.

The bill is going to talk on ensuring our highways are free from banditry, armed robberies, kidnappers and all forms of brigandage.

“To that extent, it is a logical extension of the community policing initiative that President Muhammadu Buhari has assented to, that the Inspector General of Police has already communicated to various police formations across the country.”

Oyo state Executive Council has approved the Oyo State Security Network Agency and Amotekun Corp Bill 2020 for onward transmission to the state house of assembly.

The approval was given at the State Executive Council meeting which held at the Executive Chamber of the Governors office, Agodi, Secretariat, Ibadan on Tuesday.

The meeting which lasted for over six hours was presided over by the Chairman, Governor Seyi Makinde and attended by all members including the Deputy Governor, Mr Rauf Olaniyan, the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs Olubanwo Adeosun, the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Chief Bisi Ilaka, and commissioners.

Addressing journalists at the end of the Executive Council meeting, the commissioner for Justice and Attorney General of the Oyo State said the presentation of the bill before the state council followed the earlier approval by the Attorney Generals and Commissioner of Justice of the six Southwest states.

Oyewo was accompanied at the briefing by his counterparts including Dr Wasiu Olatunbosun (Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism), Dr Bashir Bello (Health), Mr Olasunkanmi Olaleye (Education), Governor Makinde’s media aides, Mr Taiwo Adisa (Chief Press Secretary) and Mr Jide Ajani (Special Adviser, Media).

He assured that the State Amotekun Corp will be headed by a state Commandant adding that the bill also allows for collaborative efforts between the six Southwest states should the need arise. He noted that the bill also made provision for Zonal Command operations for the Corp.

He expressed optimism that the bill will get speedy attention from the state lawmakers so that the Governor can also give the required assent in no long time.

Oyewo said “We presented the bill for the creation of the Oyo State Security Network Agency and the Amotekun Corp Bill of 2020.

“As you are well aware, the Amotekun operation or Security outfit had already been launched by the Governors of the Southwestern states. However, it became very clear that there was a need for a legal backing for that operations.

“So, the Attorneys General of the Southwest zone including Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo and Lagos state came together with the intervention of DAWN commission that has been piloting the process, and we are able to have a draft model bill to be adopted by each of the state in accordance with their local circumstances and situations as the need arises.

“So, what you see is that within this week, I know that for instance Ekiti state had already done this, Ogun state had already done this and now Oyo state is doing this, we have the executives approving it for onward transmission to the House of Assembly for purposes of enacting it into law.

“It is a synchronised process that showed that the zone is collaborating with one another. This also has the backing of the Conference of Speakers of the zone and so, it is not surprising that within the week and next week, all these six states within the Southwest zone will have passed the bill into law.

“The gist of the bill is that it establishes a Security Network agency with a board and in Section 3 of it, it specifically allows for the contiguous states within the Southwest to collaborate with each other. So, this bill is to enable the southwest Governors to deliver on their constitutional responsibilities under Section 4 of the 1999 constitutional that imposes the obligation for the protection of lives and property, not only on the federal government but for the state and local government.

“So, we have a situation where these network is established to complement the police and security agencies in the light of the insecurity incidence not only in the Southwest all over Nigeria. It must be noted that the primary obligation for policing in the constitution is vested in the Nigeria Police, but there are also constitutional obligations imposed on the state and government at the local level to ensure security or lives and property and this is what is taking place. It is a complementary Security Network outfit.

“And we have the Amotekun Corp which is also established there under and their operation as it were for the purpose of securing those areas in collaboration or complement with the police and of such miscreants or offenders that are arrested will be handed over to the police and if they violate state laws, they will be prosecuted through the office of the Attorney-General, so it is a symbiotic, corrollative and complementary relationship and it gives room for collaboration within the Southwest which enhances the security operations under the code name of Operation Amotekun.”

He added that the law also made provisions for human right concerns about abuses with a complete mechanism to address such issues to ensure that excesses or any complain is taken in an unbiased atmosphere and quickly dispense to ensure justice is done.

“Of course, the Oyo State Amotekun Corp will have its own Oyo state commander, we do not have an umbrella regional commander, rather we have commanders within each state and Zonal commands within each states that goes down to the local government areas.

“The laws allows for collaborations between the Zonal and state commanders of each state. For instance, Oyo State Commander can collaborate with the Osun State Commander and of course, that can also extend to all the six Southwest states, if there is a common threat that arises within the zone.

“These are some of the highlights of the Amotekun Security Agency that is proposed for enactment into law by the Oyo state House of Assembly. As we speak, the document is been transmitted to the office of the Honorable Speaker, and I believe it will go through the process of parliamentary hearing and passing of the bill into law and we expect that within the shortest period of time, it will be presented for assent by the Governor of the state. This is where we are by the Amotekun law”, Oyewo noted..

On arms bearing, the Commissioner for Justice said “There is a provision in the Amotekun law that is in compliance with the extant laws in Nigeria to bear arms and that is the seeking the President permit, so, you can’t bear arms without permit.”

Also at the meeting, issues of Committee crisis at the Oke Ogun Polytechnic, report of crisis on the centralised Abbaitors and state’s status on Lassa fever and coronavirus were also considered.