All Progressive Congress, APC, national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has taken a neutral position on the creation of Operation Amotekun.

Tinubu took a critical stand as he opens up on the creation of the security support system across southwest states in Nigeria.

In his submission, Tinubu hailed the operation saying it is a good initiative but also knocked both the Attorney General and the South West governors for some lapses.

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Here are three important things Tinubu said on Operation Amotekun

1. On the creation

Tinubu said, “The governors stated that they consulted regularly with the police and security agencies. This was the right thing to do. 

“As I understand it, Amotekun is to be another set of eyes and ears to assist the police. As such, it is but the second generation of Neighbourhood Watch expanded to a regional scale. Conceptually, there is nothing wrong with this. It does not appear to insult the constitution.”

2. On Attorney General

“While the Attorney General is a conscientious public servant, he is also human. Not having been consulted, he was suddenly faced with an unexpected public announcement regarding a matter within his official ambit. He likely feared the failure to consult him meant that federal prerogatives were being encroached. To blame him for this conclusion would be to blame human nature itself. Though his negative reaction was understandable, it was also unhelpful.”

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3. The Knocks

“The Attorney General acted hastily in rendering a public statement that was more inaccurate than it should have been. Amotekun was never proposed as a ‘defence’ agency; the Attorney General erred in using this description. The use of uniform and brightly coloured vehicles may not be the best ideas, but they do not render Amotekun a defence agency or paramilitary group any more than a designated school van carrying uniformed students constitutes a paramilitary deployment.

“However, their (South West governors) failure to include the office of the attorney general in these discussions is the fount of the current public uproar. This was an unfortunate omission the governors should regret and seek to remedy. However, the conceptual merits and positive functional aspects of Amotekun should not be tainted by this procedural defect.”

His Submission

In his submission, Tinubu said, “However, my position regarding Amotekun is not blind or uncritical; there are several organisational and functional aspects of the proposal that could cause some problems if left unresolved.”