Opinion: Amotekun Will Succeed As A Shield Not As A Sword | By Muideen Olagunju

Let’s not deceive ourselves, AMOTEKUN evolved into our security consciousness because of the incursions of criminal elements among the Fulanis of Northern Nigeria who have mastered crimes like pillaging, malicious damage, murder, rape and armed robbery. If I am not directly familiar with the modus operandi of the ones that lay sieges along the Osun-Ondo-Ekiti axis, I am fully abreast of the activities of these Fulani gangsters in my immediate environment of Oyo Town. The Oke Ogun zone of Oyo State has also been the stomping grounds for Fulani armed robbers.

Many of us view them as mere cattle herders but they are super intelligent. The level of their conspiracies is higher than that of common criminals. A Fulani man doesn’t act alone. If he is a crime perpetrator, he could get backing as high as Abuja. If he’s the victim, and the wrongdoer is Yoruba, haaaaa, his rights and interests could be defended by the high and mighty.

I’ll give you an example. A Fulani herdsman was killed just before Fasola Village in Oyo Town in 2013. His kinsmen reported to the Police and 3 individuals were arrested close to the scene of the crime. They protested their innocence and were able to give accounts of their whereabouts at the time of the murder. In short, in legal parlance, they had alibis. The DPO exercising jurisdiction over the matter couldn’t release the suspects. He said he had to transfer them to Homicide Division at the State CID even though he was convinced they are innocence.

He confided in me that he feared the influence of the Fulanis and their propensity to escalate the matter up to the office of the IGP in Abuja. He then gave me an alternative route to get my clients released. He said I should talk to a particular Fulani man who, at the time I must add, was the Head of all Fulanis in the Oyo area. I approached him. He said MIYETTI ALLAH was monitoring the matter. He became convinced too that the suspects had nothing to do with the murder but said only a directive from Miyetti Allah could make him drop the case. We exchanged numbers as he promised to get back to me. He did the following day and asked me to meet him at a Filling Station around Gedu, Oyo.

I met him and at least 10 other men. He asked me to tarry as they were expecting Miyetti Allah’s representatives from Ilorin and Ibadan. Within one hour, the delegation from Ilorin comprising three individuals arrived and two persons came from Ibadan. They spread mats within the premises of the filling station and began deliberations. After about 20 minutes, I was summoned. I presented the case of my clients before the entire group. One of the men from Ilorin replied.

He was quite garrulous and had an air of assumed authority. He said they could punish my clients for the sins of Yoruba farmers against their people in the area. He added that but for the generous recommendation from the Seriki Fulani about me, my clients would have faced charges of murder. He then gave the OK that my clients could be absolved.

The above is just to tell you how organized and protective these people can be. We cannot forget how President Buhari accompanied them to confront erstwhile governor of Oyo State, Lam Adesina, over skirmishes between Fulanis and local farmers in Oke Ogun area in 2001. In terms of influence, we don’t actually stand a chance.

Now let’s discuss the composition and the operational nomenclature under which the Amotekun outfit will function. It appears they would not bear firearms and if they would, it is likely police or the government will only allow such basic firearms like pump action rifles. It goes without saying that the Fulani marauders bear more sophisticated weapons. The least In their Arsenal is the Kalashnikov (AK 47) assault rifle. In terms of operations, we have to remember they are primarily pastoralists.

Walking the bush or forest is child’s play to them. Stamina comes in abundance. They can operate during the day or night with ruthless efficiency. No matter how well we train the Amotekun outfit, taking the battle to the marauders will be counter-productive except the Police and/or army will be co-opted to assist in the manhunts.

Keep in mind that the Amotekun initiative is being rammed down the throats of Northern interests. They see it as act of confrontation. In the minds of the hardliners among them, it is an affront. The current make up of the hierarchies of the security sector in Nigeria is not favourable to Southerners except we want to live a lie. All out battle against the marauders may elicit surreptitious complicity from the rank and file of the traditional security outfits like the police and the army in their favour.

As a sword, Amotekun will be like a Pygmy squaring up to Goliath.

So we have to use it as a SHIELD. At least by now, the signs are obvious that Southwestern states are fed up with the brazen activities of Fulani bandits. We have to mix the show of force with clever diplomacy. We have to open an interface for dialogue and engagements with the relevant stakeholders including the Miyetti Allah. This will include security summits between our six governors working in unison and their Northern counterparts. Engagements should include fast-tracked solutions to the perennial open grazing crises. This is where engagement with the federal government is crucial. The POWER OF SIX should be persuasive and result-oriented.

Of course, not all Fulanis are bad. The settlers are actually good people for the most part. Their major infraction is malicious damage of farmlands. Many of them have been with us for long and some have been completely Yorubalized. We can develop a system of useful collaboration with them. One thing I’ve discovered is that they also hate the activities of the nomads particularly since the settlers are often victims of the cattle rustling activities of the nomads. The “enemy of my enemy is my friend” mantra is apt in that situation.

While the issue of banditry may have spurred the birth of the Amotekun initiative, there are sundry crimes being committed daily by Yorubas themselves. Ritual killing is one. Youth gangsterism is another. Proliferation of drugs is also a matter of concern. Amotekun should be localized to work with community leaders for the purposes of identifying bad eggs among us. Working in tandem with the police, criminals can be easily identified and reined in. We should also work hard to see that the outfit is not infested with corruption. Who would have thought the FRSC will deteriorate into being part of the “Sabanmu” gang?

It will take a lot of tact and wisdom to get Amotekun to achieve its fullest potentials. May we get it right.

 

Barrister Muideen Olagunju, ex-lawmaker,

Oyo State House Of Assembly writes from Oyo town