Operation Amotekun: FG, Southwest Governors, meet, reach final agreement

The Ondo State Governor and Chairman of the Southwest Governors, Rotimi Akeredolu, has revealed what was agreed upon during the meeting with the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo over Operation Amotekun.

Akeredolu said governors of the Southwest region and Osinbajo agreed on a legal framework to be set up to support the security outfit.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had held a meeting with Southwest governors in Abuja on Thursday to find ways of resolving the controversies Operation Amotekun had generated

The meeting is coming 24 hours after the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, said Amotekun was not a threat to national unity.

Amotekun, an initiative of Southwest Governors, was first declared illegal last Tuesday by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.

Though, Akeredolu while addressing pressmen in State House after the meeting, said: “We held a very fruitful discussion, the governors of the South-West were there. The meeting was presided over by the Vice President, the AGF was there and the Inspector General of Police.

“We have rubbed minds and all of us have agreed on the way forward. The most important thing is that we are going to have the legal framework to back this Amotekun. And this legal framework is going to be one in which all of us will look at and we will be sure that it goes without any hindrance.”

When asked if the agreement reached with the Vice President meant that the establishment of the outfit would be suspended until the legal framework was developed, he said: “No. What I believe about our resolution is that Amotekan is there, you know the Federal Government is starting community policing. In essence really, it is about community. So, we are going to work together to see the community policing and Amotekan work in a way.”

Akeredolu also maintained that there were consultations before the establishment of Amotekun outfit.

He said, “There were consultations, don’t say there were no consultations. There were consultations because we held discussions with the IG then and what has developed is what has led to this, not that there were no consultations.

“We just felt that with all these noise outside, it was better for us to sit down. Remember that immediately the noise started, I said that we were going to explore political solutions and all of us are here, my colleague, the deputy governor of Oyo State who is of the PDP, all of us are here. So, we have looked at both political and legal solutions to it and all of us will do it.”