Nigerians resident in the United States of America, have appealed to the Federal Government not to frustrate the consummation of the South West joint security network christened operation Amotekun.
Also, a Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Dr. Olusegun Osinkolu, said no highly populated country like Nigeria would rely solely on its conventional security architecture to guarantee the protection of its citizens, saying community policing is gaining traction globally and that the country must key into this.
The USA based Nigerians under the banner of Nigeria Coalition for Change, in a statement by its chairman, Mr. Samuel Ayodele and made available to DAILY POST in Ado Ekiti, on Wednesday, said it was disgraceful for the federal government to have failed in the task of protecting Nigerians.
Ayodele said the failure propelled the southwest governors to think outside the box and came up with the initiative to save the citizens from kidnappings, killings and other criminal acts.
Ayodele described Amotekun as a product of critical innovative thinking that must be commended and supported by all right-thinking Nigerians, rather than thwarting it.
“The killings, kidnappings and banditry in the southwest region were responsible for the formation of Operation Amotekun and this fact must be accepted by those that are opposed to its consummation.
“No nation with the staggering population of over 200 million will rely solely on the conventional security structure to ensure safety of lives and property. There must be a back up at the community level for in-depth intelligence gathering that will bring about proactive action on the side of security.
“As sophisticated as the USA, China and Britain, they still rely on community policing, let alone Nigeria that is backward in this regard.
“The issue of community policing system is an issue that must not be politicised . It must be embraced by everyone and we expected the federal government to advise other zones to key into this policy to make Nigeria safe for investors”, he said.
Also espousing his opinion on the Amotekun issue, Osinkolu advised the governors to refrain from deploying Amotekun operatives for political or ethnic battle, saying this would erode the confidence the people have reposed in it.
“It should neither be used to oppress political opponents nor fight ethnic battle because such will automatically create panic in the system and make Nigerians further regret its establishment”, he warned.
Osinkolu, who was the Director-General of the Buhari/Osinbajo campaign council in Ekiti State in the 2019 presidential election, added that the issue of community policing has gone global and nothing can impede the traction it was gaining.
In a statement on Wednesday, the APC Chieftain stated that only an inept governor would fold his arms and allow his citizens to be mowed down by marauders.
“Only a governor that has no intention to add value to his people will watch helplessly how the people were being kidnapped, killed and maimed in the southwest. People are gradually abandoning farming that engages over 70 per cent of the population, both old and young are being neglected owing to destruction in the hands of herders.
