Reps to amend Constitution to back Amotekun, others — Gbajabiamila

The speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has stated that the House under his leadership will amend the constitution to back various security interventions in parts of the country.

The speaker made this known on Wednesday while delivering his welcome address at the beginning of plenary.

The speaker’s comment is coming on the heels of debates regarding the formation of the regional paramilitary outfit in the South-west, Amotekun, to complement the work of the police.

The governors of the region recently launched Amotekun on January 9, but the federal government afterwards declared it illegal, saying it was unconstitutional.

The security outfit was launched by the six states of the South-west due to rising insecurity in the region.

The federal government and the South-west states later agreed that the group should be organised to conform with the government’s community policing model.

LEGAL BACKING

Speaking at the plenary, Mr Gbajabiamila said the idea of Amotekun and other security interventions are due to the rising security across the country.

“Too often, it has seemed to me that lost in these interactions is the hard, brutal and unavoidable fact that Àmòtékùn and other such state or zonal interventions that already quietly exist in other parts of the country are a desperate response to the vile manifestations of insecurity that trouble the lives of citizens, depriving them of the peace and security that gives life meaning,” he said.

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“I do not know that Àmòtékùn or whatever iterations of it may follow represents the ultimate or perfect solution to the problem of insecurity in our country. Nobody does that.”

The speaker said he believed the localised manifestations of insecurity across the different parts of Nigeria calls for unique and localised approaches that take those peculiarities into account.

“What I also know is that whichever approach we seek, we are obligated to work within the limits imposed by the constitution to which we all swear allegiance,” he said.

“I am certain in the knowledge that doing nothing is not an option. We have a responsibility as legislators to support the best efforts of those who act with noble intent to protect our citizens.

“I, therefore, call on the Leader of the House of Representatives and the Minority Leader to take active steps to bring to the floor, appropriate amendments to the constitution that will ensure that these and other righteous interventions to protect the life and property of our citizens are firmly in compliance with the laws of the land,” he said.