Amotekun: Don’t set a bad precedent, Gani Adams warns Malami

The Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba  Gani Adams has warned the Attorney – General of the Federation, Mr Abubakar Malami not to  set a bad example capable of dividing the country.

Gani Adams also warned him against plunging the country into another war in this very week that Nigeria is marking “the 50th anniversary of the end of the civil war.”

The Aare Ona Kakanfo added that he finds it disturbing the statement credited  to  the Attorney -General declaring the security initiative of South-West governors ‘Amotekun’ as illegal, saying  that the outburst against the governors who were elected, not selected or appointed, is against the spirit of the 1999 Constituted (as amended).

Adams issued the warning in a letter he personally signed and addressed to the Attorney – General on Wednesday in Lagos and made available to Mega Icon Magazine.

According to him, “the right to life is universal and no government can legislate against that. I don’t need to bother you about killings, kidnappings, banditry and other criminal vices in the South-West recently. Even Mrs. Funke Olakunrin, the daughter of Yoruba leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, was killed and nobody has been arrested in respect of all these killings.

“One thing is clear: Nigerians have the right to protect themselves. Not only that: South-West people have a right to protect and defend themselves against attacks.

” Amotekun is an initiative by the South-West governors to defend our people”.

In the letter, Aare Gani Adams further explained  that the Amotekun initiative has nothing to do with the territorial integrity of Nigeria, stressing that if there is a breach of the territorial integrity of the country, the military will come in immediately. “So, nobody is rising against Nigeria, as your letter to the governors, directly or indirectly, implied.

“May be you have forgotten. I need to remind you that you are the Attorney-General of the country, not a section of the country. What is happening is that our people no longer feel safe because the land has been invaded by some elements from within and outside the country.

“It is unfortunate that rather than praise the governors, you are condemning their action, thereby strengthening the hands of those who believe the Federal Government is against some sections of the country. As a lawyer and a Senior Advocate, you should know that you are not the law. You are only the Attorney-General, not a court.

“It is only a court of competent jurisdiction that will decide if what an individual, group of individuals, an entity or a state does is legal or otherwise. So, it is only a court that can invalidate the South-West joint security initiative, not you. I want to establish this fact that the Yoruba have a right to protect themselves from attack or violence of any sort.

“Issues of security is highly sensitive, and we can now understand where the threat is coming from. It is unfortunate that the FG is doing everything to frustrate the southwest governors’ efforts. For instance,  last Wednesday, that was less than  24-hours before the launching of Amotekun in Ibadan, the Presidency summoned the  southwest governors to Aso rock.

“We knew about the intrigues that played out at the meeting. We knew about the frustrations at Aso rock, but the governors, having realised the implications of  playing politics with the lives of their people, stood their ground and went ahead to launch the security outfit as planned

“So, it is your position on this volatile situation that is illegal, unlawful, immoral and of no effect because your declaration has proved some critics right that some states in the country are deliberately left vulnerable to attacks by criminals. I want to state that the right to life cannot be in the exclusive list of any serious government. I am aware of similar security outfits in other sections of the country. Why you are against the protection of the lives and properties of Yoruba people defies logic”.

Aare Gani Adams,  however  called  on the Southwest governors  to ignore Malami’s position on this matter and move on.