27th February, 2020
Former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, has kicked against suggestions that members of the Myetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) should be recruited into ”Amotekun” the new security outfit created by southwest governors.
Alhaji Yaqub Bello, a former Chairman of MACBAN in the state, made the suggestion on Monday February 24th during a public hearing on the Oyo State Security Network Agency Bill, 2020, also known as Amotekun bill.
While declaring his support for the new security outfit, Bello said; “Some of us have been in Oyo state for over 40 years, cohabiting with the natives, married Yoruba women and have children. So, our request is to include Myetti Allah as members of Operation Amotekun to enhance the job of the outfit, since we know the terrain of where we rear our cattle.
Having Fulani among the outfit will make it easier for Amotekun men to distinguish between genuine herdsmen and the criminals while on patrol. A Fulani man can also serve as an interpreter while interrogating any suspected herdsman.”
However, FFK rejected the idea, saying that it will not work. He wrote; ”Recruiting Miyetti Allah into Amotekun is like recruiting demons into an army of angels. It’s like recruiting hyenas into an army of lions. It’s like recruiting vultures into an army of eagles. It’s like recruiting sharks into an army of dolphins. Simply put KO LE WERK!
It’s like recruiting Nazis into the Israeli Defence Force. It’s like recruiting the Ku Klux Klan into the ranks of the Black Panthers. It’s like recruiting Hutus into an Army of Tutsis. It’s like recruiting the white Boers into Nelson Mandela’s ANC. I say it again: KO LE WERK!