Against the declaration of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami that Operation Amotekun is illegal, the Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Maigari Dingyadi, said the security outfit has been misunderstood by the public to be a region security outfit.
Dingyadi, who made the clarification in an interview in Sokoto State on Saturday advised that “what some people have misconstrued to be a region security outfit is just one of those contributions that the state government has been giving to the security agencies in this country.”
Operation Amotekun is the security outfit by South-west Governors to further secure the lives and property of the people in the South-Western part of Nigeria.
Dingyadi explained that Operation Amotekun was established to complement the police and other security forces, not as an independent regional security outfit, as it is popularly perceived by many people in Nigeria.
He emphasised that it would not be legally right for any region or state in the country to have a security outfit, saying that security is an exclusive responsibility of the Federal Government.
The Minister, who commended all state governors for their invaluable support and contributions rendered to the police and other security agencies, reasoned that the brains behind the Operation Amotekun may have been intercepted in the middle of their journey.
His words: “I believe the intention of the governors was a good one, but many people, including some leaders of the region, gave it a different meaning,” the minister noted.
“If it is the meaning we are being made to understand, I will want to believe that it is not legally right for any region to have a security outfit that is intended to protect that region alone.”
He further said that “Even if it is not legally wrong, one will want to ask how are we going to manage its regional security structures. There are security outfit, particularly the police overall in the federation, and we feel if anybody is not satisfied with what the police and other security agencies are doing, the state equally has the opportunity to support them with their resources.
“As it is now in our laws, it is the Federal Government that is controlling the police and other security agencies, but it must be everybody’s business.”
He then described Operation Amotekun as one of those contributions that the state government has been giving to the security agencies in this country.”
The minister, however, said his office will not support a security initiative that is unconstitutional and urged all stakeholders to do things in the right way.
Dingyadi added: “But if it is something different then I will support other people who have viewed the initiative as unconstitutional. I want to appeal to all concerned in the matter to please do things in the most appropriate manner.”
