17th January, 2020
A member of the House of Representatives, Mrs. Taiwo Oluga, described the action of the Minister for Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Mr Abubakar Malami as an abuse of office and a deliberate attempt to suppress the ‘Amotekun’ security outfit initiative aimed at fighting kidnapping and banditry in the region by declaring it illegal.
Oluga said the creation and launching of Amotekun by Southwest governors should be encouraged and whoever does not support can go to court.
Malami, had in a statement through his Special Adviser on Media, Dr Umar Gwandu, on Jan. 14, declared “AMOTEKUN” as illegal.
Oluga, who represents Ayedaade/Irewole/Isokan Federal Constituency in Osun State, said: “It is a rude shock for the Attorney-General, Malami to declare the outfit illegal. Without apology, Malami declaration is an abuse of office to suppress Amotekun outfit from performing.”
She said: “If you have been terrorised or a victim of an attack, you won’t say that Amotekun is illegal. Every citizen has the right to protect himself or herself. I find it unbelievable for him not to have declared the civilian JTF in the northeast and Hisbah police illegal, so why will he declare Amotekun in the southwest illegal?
Oluga posited that the Attorney General ought to have approached the court to seek an interpretation of the law rather becomes the judge himself.
“Malami is knowledgeable. He should go to court. If as a citizen, we can’t protect ourselves again, if we can’t defend our interest. He wants to rubbish the effort of the southwest governors which he must apologise to the southwest governors.”
“He would have called them to a meeting rather than going to the public to declare it illegal. The southwest governors should be commended for meeting and reasoning severally because of the insecurity in the southwest which gave birth to an outfit that will secure us as indigenes.”