The police in SouthWest Nigeria have kicked against the recently launched Operation Amotekun saying any of its members with illegal firearms will be arrested.

In a recent report by The Punch, the police command in Ekiti and Ogun states issued a strong warning to members of Operation Amotekun over the use of illegal firearms.

Sunday Abutu, the Police Public Relations Officer for the Ekiti State Police Command, told Punch that any OPC member or member of the Operation Amotekun that had prohibited firearms would be arrested.

In the same vein, Abimbola Oyeyemi, the Police Public Relations Officer in Ogun State, warned that any civilian member of the Operation Amotekun found guilty of using unlicensed firearms would be arrested.

The police spokesperson said the police commands would not condone any form of possession of prohibited firearms from members of the Amotekun security operation.

According to the commands, anybody that does not belong to any security agency, such as the army, the police, and the customs, cannot carry AK-47 rifles.

Operation Amotekun was launched on Thursday, January 9 after a joint agreement by the SouthWest states – Ogun, Lagos, Oyo, Ondo, Ekiti, and Osun – following serial killings and kidnapping in the South-West region of Nigeria.

The security group is led by Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Chief Gani Adams. Just after the launch, Lagos, Osun and Ekiti state governments said they would recruit about 1,320 operatives.