Upgrade Amotekun To State Police – Afenifere Tells FG Amid Rising Insecurity In South-West

The Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has warned that the continued delay in the establishment of state police may force communities to resort to self-help in the face of worsening insecurity across the country.

The group faulted what it described as the Federal Government’s reactive deployment of security forces after terror attacks, saying such an approach had failed to protect citizens, especially farmers and rural dwellers in ungoverned spaces.

Naija News reports that in a statement issued in Akure, the Ondo State capital, Afenifere’s Secretary-General, Chief Sola Ebiseni, said there was now a broad national consensus that Nigeria could no longer delay the creation of state police.

He said, “If there is any issue on which there is consensus currently in Nigeria, it is that the time for State Police is now.”

Ebiseni said the delay in establishing state police was creating a dangerous vacuum that could be filled by ethnic conflicts and self-defence arrangements if urgent steps were not taken.

According to him, citizens naturally want to protect themselves, their families and their communities when the state fails to provide adequate security.

He said, “The unnecessary vacuum being created by the intolerable delay in ensuring State Police may soon be filled by intractable ethnic wars in response to the natural instincts for self and kindred protection if no urgent and immediate action be not taken.”

Afenifere urged political actors not to exploit insecurity for political gain, saying the issue should be treated as a national emergency.

The group said the fight against insecurity should be approached with the same collective spirit with which the country responded to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ebiseni said Nigeria had become a deliberate target of international terrorism with a territorial agenda.

He noted that terrorists and armed groups do not respect state boundaries or national sovereignty, and that the Federal Government must be willing to seek support beyond Nigeria’s borders where necessary.

He said, “The Federal Government should particularly note that terrorism is such a rapacious international scourge that seeking collaboration beyond borders for its termination is not tantamount to a surrender of national sovereignty.”

The Afenifere secretary-general argued that Nigerians who agreed to be part of the country for better protection should not be permanently subjected to terror by compatriots working with foreign elements.

‘Federal Deployment Ineffective’

Afenifere said the Nigerian Armed Forces, once celebrated for peacekeeping missions across West Africa, had become overstretched by several internal conflicts.

Ebiseni said repeated deployment of federal security forces after attacks had not provided lasting protection for vulnerable communities.

He said, “The fire-brigade deployment of federal security forces after each strike of terror is infeasible, ineffective in the protection of citizens including particularly the farmers scattered in the huge ungoverned spaces all over the country while such permanent engagements strip the military of the awesomeness of its invincibility.”

The group said Nigeria needed a more decentralised security system that would allow states to respond quickly and effectively to threats within their territories.

Afenifere recalled that former Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun had expressed support for state police after his appointment and submitted a memorandum to the National Assembly on constitutional amendment.

The group also cited the recent support for state police by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele and ongoing debates in the House of Representatives.

However, Ebiseni rejected parts of the Inspector-General’s proposal, especially the suggestion of a 60-month transition period.

He said, “Contrary to the published content of the IG Memo, the State Police cannot tarry for a 60-month gestation period; its structure and recruitment will not be determined by the Federal Police or constituted by as many as 60% of federal police officers from the State concerned.”

He added that state police must be adequately equipped to confront modern security threats.

“The firepower should be no less than that possessed by the Federal Police or the terrorists they are recruited to tackle,” he said.

‘Amotekun Only Requires Immediate Upgrade’

Speaking on regional security in the South-West, Ebiseni said the Amotekun Regional Security Network should be immediately upgraded to state police.

He said the outfit only required stronger legal backing, better equipment and continuous training to perform more effectively.

He said, “In Yoruba land, the Amotekun Regional Security Network only requires immediate upgrading as State Police with appropriate and commensurate firepower and continuous training. They are prepared physically and mentally for the task ahead.”

Afenifere said Amotekun operatives were already familiar with local terrains, communities and security threats, making them suitable for the kind of grassroots policing Nigeria urgently needs.

The group commended the military for its efforts in the fight against insurgency and other security challenges across the country.

Ebiseni, however, warned security personnel against being drawn into politics or any attempt to interfere in democratic governance.

He urged them to “shun any temptation or ill-advised encouragements and recruitment for intervention in civil and democratic governance.”

Afenifere maintained that the solution to Nigeria’s insecurity lies in urgent reforms, decentralised policing, stronger community intelligence and a security structure that allows states to protect their people effectively.