Adebisi Onanuga
THE Ogun State government and the police have joined forces to strengthen security and ensure hitch-free of inauguration of the Amotekun security outfit in the state.
Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Akingbolahan Adeniran stated this during a courtesy call on the Commissioner of Police in the state, Kenneth Ebrimson, at Police Command, Eleweeran, Abeokuta.
Governor Dapo Abiodun recently signed the Amotekun law following its passage by the state’s House of Assembly.
Adeniran said Amotekun was established to provide security for residents of the state against hooliganism, kidnapping, armed robbery and cultism.
It was not, he explained, set up to counter or compete with Federal Government’s security apparatus in the country.
He assured the police of the state government’s commitment to strengthen and improve on the security of life and property through Amotekun.
“Indeed, it is obvious that the formation of Amotekun was not to compete or flex muscles with the Police, State Security Services (SSS), Civil Defence and other security outfis but to complement the efforts of the existing government securiy network in the country”, Adeniran said.
According to the AG, government needs police support, especially in the area of sensitive operations, which involve interpretation of laws such as the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (2017).
Adeniran said Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law, review of land-grabbing laws, sexual harassment laws, law on kidnapping and others require police intervention before they can become effective.
He also assured the police leadership of the establishment of a forensic centre at the command’s headquarters.
This, he added, would complement their work of ensuring thorough investigation of cases and reduce cyber-crime in the state.
“Although I really appreciate the state police command for the meritorious work in fighting crimes in the state: kidnapping has reduced drastically in the state, armed robbery, land grabbing and other social vices have also reduced, they really need state government attention too, to complement their work”, Adeniran added
Replying, Ogun State Commissioner of Police (CP) Kenneth Ebrimson said security was everybody’s business, noting that it was not the monopoly of Police to secure life and property.
Everyone, he suggested, should collectively tackle the menace of insecurity in the state.
According to him, the Amotekun controversy was blown out of proportion.
Despite the good intentions of the initiators, he noted, some critics still tagged it a regional organisation or southwestern security outfit to fight their enemies.
CP Ebrimson said Amotekun was not different from what was already on the ground, including the likes of Vigilante Group, So Safe Corps and many others, which had been partnering with police to provide security.
He observed that a lot of awareness was needed to convince critics of their misconception about the Amotekun, adding that he saw the Amotekun outfit as necessary to assist and complement the efforts of the police and other existing security apparatus in the country.
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According to him, the greatest challenges before the police now was cultism, which the police needed to deploy 90 percent of their personnel to combat, especially in Sagamu area of the state.
He lamented that it was “the mother of kidnapping, armed robbery, murder and land grabbing.”
Others at the event included Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Criminal Investigation Department, (CID), Mr. Wale Abass; Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Administration, Mr. Abiodun Alamutu; Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations, Mr. Muyideen Obe; Mr. Segun Olaotan, Director of Public Prosecutions in the Ogun Ministry of Justice and Special Assistant to the Governor on Legal Matters, Miss. Adejoke Are.
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