…Petitions Buhari, NASS, IGP, others (1)
A coalition of Yoruba groups, under the aegis of Yoruba Appraisal Forum (YAF) has petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari; Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the leadership of the National Assembly and the Service Chiefs over alleged hijack of the newly launched South-west security outfit, popularly called Amotekun.
The forum alleged that some individuals hijacked the security outfit for sinister purposes, which can be injurious to the corporate existence of Nigeria.
The group also petitioned the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu; the Director General of the Department of State Services, Yusuf Magaji Bichi; the National Security Adviser, Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd); the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Maigari Dingyadi.
Others also petitioned by the group are the Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin; the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar.
The group urged President Buhari to take urgent and decisive steps to prevent the threat to human lives and property that may arise from the South west through the operation of the Amotekun security outfit.
It further warned the governors of the six South west states to refrain from signing into law the bills for the establishment of Amotekun, passed recently by the state Houses of Assembly in the geo-political zone.
The group also urged the police, Department of State Services, the Armed Forces and their intelligence units as well as the National Intelligence Agency to carry out fresh but thorough investigation on Amotekun with a view to ascertaining the real intention of those who had allegedly hijacked the security initiative from the original people who conceived the idea.
A communiqué issued at the end of the coalition’s meeting in Lagos and made available to newsmen Thursday in Abuja, alleged that unknown to most Nigerians, including those in authority, some unscrupulous individuals have hijacked the initiative to achieve their selfish and sinister purposes.
It stated that its latest findings about Amotekun, which were shocking, had now become a source of serious concern regarding the South west security initiative.
The communiqué signed by the convener, Comrade Adeshina Animashaun stated that: “Although the intention of those who originally conceived the idea of Amotekun was a noble one, as they set out to protect the people of the region against criminal elements causing wanton destruction of lives and property, the idea has been hijacked and now intended for purposes that could be injurious to the corporate existence of Nigeria.”
