Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives, Femi
Gbajabiamila has directed the Leader of the House, Hassan Ado Dogwa to bring a
bill that will amend the 1999 constitution to recognize Amotekun and other
similar security outfits in the country.
The Speaker stated this in his welcome address on Wednesday.
In his speech, Gbajabiamila said that the emergence of Amotekun and similar
security outfits was as a result of the manifestation gaps in the security
architecture in the country.
The Amotekun security outfit launched by the governors of
the 6 southwest states has caused controversy, especially between the Federal
government through the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami and
the governors of the southwest states over the legality of the group.
The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola
Tinubu has also intervened, calling for the warring parties to reach a
compromise on the impasse. The intervention of Mr. Tinubu Culminated into the
meeting brokered by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo between the
governors and the Federal Government.
Gbajabiamila who is the Godson of Tinubu has now given the
marching order for the House to commence constitutional amendment to give
Amotekun the legal backing.
“Recently, the Governors of Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti, Oyo
and Ondo states took action to implement a regional security network to support
the efforts of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) in preventing crime and
protecting the lives and property of those our citizens who live, work and
travel through these states. The establishment of Àmòtékùn, as the network is
called, has met with commentary from across the country, both for and against.
Too often, it has seemed to me that lost in these interactions is the hard,
brutal and unavoidable fact that Àmòtékùn and other such state or zonal
interventions that already quietly exist in other parts of the country are a
desperate response to the vile manifestations of insecurity that trouble the
lives of citizens, depriving them of the peace and security that gives life
meaning.
“I do not know that Àmòtékùn or whatever iterations of it
may follow represents the ultimate or perfect solution to the problem of
insecurity in our country. Nobody does that. What I do know with absolute
clarity and certainty is that the localised manifestations of insecurity across
the different parts of our country call for unique and localised approaches
that take those peculiarities into account. What I also know, is that whichever
approach we seek, we are obligated to work within the limits imposed by the
constitution to which we all swear allegiance. Above all else, I am certain in
the knowledge that doing nothing is not an option. We have a responsibility as
legislators to support the best efforts of those who act with noble intent to
protect our citizens.
“I, therefore, call on the Leader of the House of
Representatives and the Minority Leader to take active steps to bring to the
floor, appropriate amendments to the constitution that will ensure that these
and other righteous interventions to protect the lives and property of our
citizens are firmly in compliance with the laws of the land,” he said.
The Speaker also expressed grief over the death of Mr. Lawan
Adimi, a senior member of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Adamawa
State and Ropvil Dalep Daciya, a student from Plateau State who were both
murdered by suspected Boko Haram Operatives.
“All people of conscience mourn the loss of a reverend and a
senior member of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Adamawa State,
Mr Lawan Adimi, a good and honourable man, who through the church and in his
personal capacity served the people of his community earning their reverence
and our collective gratitude. In the midst of our mourning, our hearts were
broken once more by the release of a video depicting the gruesome assassination
of Mr Ropvil Dalep Daciya, a student from Plateau State who was abducted by
suspected Boko Haram terrorists on his way back to school at the University of
Maiduguri,” he stated.
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