By Henry Odeh
The Presidency has reportedly summoned the six Southwest governors to a meeting at Aso Rock over the launching of the regional security outfit codenamed Amotekun.
The summon allegedly came barely 24 hours before the launching of the security agency which has drawn huge applause from Nigerians, especially those of Southwest extraction. It is billed to be launched in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital by the six governors in the Southwest on Thursday January 9.
The launching which was scheduled to be presided over by Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu being the Chairman, Southwest Governors’ Forum.
According to a report by Newspeakonline, the Presidency asked the six governors to attend a meeting at Aso Rock Wednesday evening to discuss details of Amotekun and why it should be allowed to fly.
The outfit is a local collaborative security agency jointly established by government of all south western states comprising of Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti, Osun and Lagos states. The idea which originated from a security summit organized by the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission in July at the wake of heightened kidnapping and armed robbery mostly on highways in the region is aimed at providing adequate security for the region.
Its personnel will include members of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), vigilante group in each state, security experts and conventional security agencies including the police and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). They are to gather intelligence and effect arrest where relevant, with the overall goal of improving security in the region.
