Community Policing: S’West Govs, IGP, Stakeholders Ratify ‘Amotekun’

The governors of the South-West region, Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu and stakeholders in the security profession, yesterday, met in Lagos, and unanimously, endorsed the creation and operation of the controversial new security outfit in the region, “Operation Amotekun”.
However, Adamu stressed that the new security outfit must be backed by law for it to be effective.
They made their stance known after a closed-door meeting, tagged: “S’West Governors, IGP, and other stakeholders’ summit on Community Policing,” held at Lagos House, Office of the State Governor, Alausa, Ikeja.
The summit had in attendance: Ondo State and Chairman, South-West Governors’ Forum, Arakunrin Rotimi Akerodolu; Governors of Lagos, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Oyo, Ogun, Osun and Ekiti states were represented by their deputy governors, Engr, Rauf Olaniyan, Engr. Noimot Oyedele, Mr Benedict Alabi and Mrs Bisi Egbeyemi, respectively.
Others include the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, all the Commissioners of Police from the six South-West states, other security outfits in Lagos State, Commissioners for Justice/Attorneys-General from the South-West states, traditional rulers, Community Development Committee (CDC), representatives among others.
Akerodolu, briefing state House Correspondents before going into the closed-door session, said, governors of the South-West will ensure that they give what it takes for the security of lives and properties in the region through community policing.
He said “It is time to face the truth which is community policing because of the peculiarity of every state. This is what is done in advanced countries and it is time to embrace it because of numerous security challenges which has overstretched the conventional police.
“This is something of great importance to all of us, something we cannot pretend about, we must be honest with ourselves, all of us agree that we are facing security challenges, the National Assembly, the President, Muhamnadu Buhari, nobody is happy with the way things are going, we must have a rethink about central police, there is too much on the IGP’s table.