The South African Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has appealed to the Federal Government to give all the support needed for the South West security outfit, Amotekun to survive.
The party in a statement on Monday described Amotekun tekun “as a great initiative that requires necessary intervention for timely delivery.”
It made the appeal in a statement jointly signed.
The party also urged the South West governors to be completely open “on the operational protocols and guidelines of the outfit and to reveal the whole agenda to the whole country.
“Now, that it is obvious that the federal police is not capable of securing lives and properties of citizens alone, Operation Amotekun is a great initiative and necessary intervention delivered on time.
“The Federal Government security agencies (military, police and other such agencies) should take Amotekun of South-west and other similar initiatives in other regions as compliments not competitors.
“Since the goal of all these various efforts is for a safer Nigeria, other national security networks should give necessary support to them to pursue this single goal.
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“We, however, know the potential of an average politician and a possibility of converting such regional effort to achieve political vendetta or for the oppression of the oppositions, including perceived enemies and labelled persons.
“The governors should go ahead to prove by their words, deeds and actions that the aim of the Operation Amotekun is noble and aimed at complementing security only,” the statement signed by the party’s chairman, Mr. Bola Babarinde, and Secretary, Prof. Folorunso Fasina said.
The APC members also advised the governors to prioritise issues of welfare of the people saying that a situation where workers are owed salaries in excess of six months “the tendency to devolve into other actions including criminality to earn a living is not impossible.
“If civil servants with meagre salaries and without guns are employed and unpaid, imagine the effect of the employment of thousands of youths, trained in the use of weapons, with opportunities to extort ordinary citizens.
“The Operation Amotekun, as well as the larger South-west community including residents and visitors, must be cared and catered for.
“Approximately 30 of the 36 states in Nigeria have one form of self-help group or another and have registered community police with different names.
“It has become a necessity for community policing to be established to complement the efforts of the Nigeria Police whose quantity is largely insufficient.”
