South West joint security outfit is a great model -: says HURIWA

The leading civil Rights Advocacy group – HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has applauded the decision of the political leadership of the South West of Nigeria to formulate a home-made security strategy to tackle the increasing threats to the security of lives and property of law abiding citizens of their federating units.

“The rest of the federating units such as South South; South East; North central; North West; North East should similarly adopt same approach because safeguarding the security of the citizenry and coming to the aid of state institutions such as the Nigerian Police Force and other sister security institutions is the fundamental task of a good citizen. A bottom to the top approach to security and the formulation of security strategy to make the people the owners of the process is the best intelligence gathering tool.”

“We have watched with overwhelming excitement the collective resolve of millions of people of South West origin including millions of other law abiding citizens of other segments of the Nigerian federation doing legitimate businesses in the South West, to collectively restore sanity, security and societal harmony in that part of the country that remains the industrial and commercial hub of the Nation, is highly commendable. We hereby urge governors of other federating units to follow the good model of the South West joint security architecture, to bring about the restoration of security, peace, unity and economic advancements in all other parts of Nigeria.”

HURIWA recalled that the governors of the South West will on January 7 inaugurate Operation Amotekun, a security strategy meant to combat killings and kidnapping in the zone.

The Ekiti State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Muyiwa Olumilua, who said this in an interview with one of our correspondents on Wednesday, said vehicles and equipment for the security outfit were ready.

He stated that the inauguration was delayed by the need for all the states to be adequately ready in terms of meeting the requirements.

HURIWA sated thus: "We commend the South West governors who had, in September, after a meeting in Akure, said they would set up Operation Amotekun, following serial killings and kidnapping in the zone by Fulani herdsmen. There is every justification for the establishment of this model security architecture following a relentless gale of armed attacks by bandits and suspected armed Fulani bandits.  In June, gunmen, suspected to be herdsmen, killed Funke Olakunri, a daughter of the Afenifere leader, Reuben Fasoranti, on the Ondo-Ore road. There were cases of kidnapping, including the abduction of a lecturer at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Prof. Olayinka Adegbehingbe, in May, at the Ikoyi/Apomu junction of the Ibadan-Ife Expressway in Ikire, a border town between Osun and Oyo states. We in the organized human rights community are happy that the governors have taken the bull by the horns and are now doing something to checkmate the rising scale of threats to the security of lives and property of the good people of the South West."