The Chairman of Council of Amotekun Corps commanders in the South West, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye on Thursday said that the time has come for the governors in the region to be decisive in tackling the activities of criminal elements in the zone by investing in the local and grassroots policing for a secured society.
He said the only panacea to banditry and other forms of criminality is the localization of the policing system.
Adeleye who is the Amotekun commander in Ondo state spoke in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti state capital on Thursday while delivering a lecture, titled 'Breaking the Barriers to a Secured Society ' organized by the Ekiti state council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists(NUJ) with support from the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, South West and the State Bureau of Local Content.
While commending the six governors in the region for their support towards the operations of the South West Security Network, he solicited the cooperation of stakeholders especially traditional rulers and the residents by providing timely and adequate information on suspicious activities in their communities.
He added that existing security agencies in the country are doing their best to provide security for the people, but lamented that bureaucracies and other factors have limited their performances in addressing kidnappings, killings and other heinous crimes.
Adeleye who argued that investigations have shown that crimes are perpetrated in the communities, said only local and grassroots networks of security would help in effectively taming the activities of the criminals.
The Amotekun boss said, "The issue of insecurity in Nigeria is a serious problem now and the solution is grassroots policing , which is state policing. The bureaucracy with the existing security arrangements is so wide that by the time instructions come from the high and mighty, the criminals are gone.
"We need to take decisive decisions and once you have grassroots policing, the solution is right with us. The South West governors should endeavor to empower our own home-grown security which is Amotekun to complement the efforts of the modern security agencies.
"Community policing is the panacea to resolving security challenges. Managing local information and intelligence is very key. If we go grassroots, there will be no hidden place for criminals and I believe with this, the social economic life of our people will be enhanced."
Speaking further, Adeleye said, "The Amotekun concept was based on a homegrown and bottom-up approach to crime management as against the imported and top-down approach of the current security architecture of the country which has been adjudged inadequate and unresponsive for a multi-ethnic, Federal Structure and vast geographical entity like Nigeria.
The language barrier, the diverse topography and deep-rooted mistrust among the various geopolitical zones call for a new approach to the task of protecting our people.
"This is more so that the current security challenges being faced are not the conventional type and if care is not taken, a small militia can overrun the best of our security agencies if there is a lack of understanding and poor coordination.
"By addressing the root causes of insecurity, strengthening institutions, promoting transparency, fostering inclusivity, enhancing international cooperation, and empowering communities, we can create a safer and more prosperous society for all. Together, we can overcome the challenges that threaten our security and build a better future for generations to come."
Ekiti state governor, Biodun Oyebanji explained that his administration in the last one and half years has invested in the security network in the state with constant engagements and provision of necessary operational equipment.
Represented by the Special Adviser on Security Matters, Brig Gen Ebenezer Ogundana (retd) , the governor who lamented the recent security breaches in the state over the killings of two traditional rulers, said all security architecture have been rejigged for effective crime control and prevention.
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He added that the government has set up a security committee with neighboring states to provide a blueprint that would enhance joint border patrols and intelligence sharing.
The chairman of NUJ in Ekiti state, Kayode Babatuyi who commended the Amotekun boss for accepting to deliver the lecture in the interest of the society, saying the event was necessary for the union to collate suggestions and ideas in support government and security agencies in a bid to ride the state of criminal elements.
"For us at Ekiti NUJ, we believed in the Ekiti project, hence the need to come up with this programme to brainstorm and resolve on how to make our dear state a pride of place as far as security is concerned," Babatuyi said.
