Tobias Sylvester
The Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) Abubakar Malami has restated that the establishment of “Operation motekun” was illegal because it is not backed by any known Nigerian law.
Malami stated this while reacting to human rights lawyer, Femi Falana who had earlier asked Southwest governors to enact the necessary laws to back the establishment of Amotekun in order to institutionalise it with belief that it has come to stay.
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Relations, Dr Umar Gwandu, on Thursday, January 23, 2020, Malami said the comment by Falana justified Federal Government’s stance that the establishment of “Amotekun” was illegal.
According to the AGF, Nigerian constitution does not accommodate formation of regional security architecture.
“By asking state governments of the Southwestern Nigeria to “proceed to enact the necessary laws”, in justifying the legality of the establishment and operation of Amotekun, Falana is reaffirming federal government’s stance that the establishment of the operation currently is illegal.
“No amount of effort to hide the truth will work. People can be carried away by sentimental or emotional inclinations, but truth remains apparently palpable.
“The bottom line is that the current Nigerian constitution do not accommodate formation of regional security architecture. This is a fact which is undisputable and undeniable
“Falana is prevaricating and circumlocuting using evasive techniques when he was asked by the media to justify the presence of lacuna within the law which can establish or protect the concept of regionalism in any operation in the country.
“He was unable to supply answer to the question and failed to cite relevant laws that back the argument.
“It is interesting that no matter the situation, truth prevails. This arrangement called Amotekun is not backed by any law neither at the state nor at the federal government level.
“Amotekun, therefore, remains unconstitutional and illegal as already indicated.
“The federal government appreciates that legally minded Nigerians have started to eschew emotions by offering legal comments on the matter as against being carried away by other inclinations.
“The office of the attorney-general of the federation and minister of justice is committed to the rule of law and a constitutional democratic Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The response is partly for the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, who said there is no way Amotekun can be a threat to the unity or foundation of Nigeria.
According to Tinubu, the foundation of the country had not been put at risk with the south-west regional security outfit launched by the governors of the zone in a bid to confront the insecurity in their states.
