“Malami Ordered Police To Stop Amotekun Protest In South West” – Yoruba Group Alleges

Yoruba Council of Youth (YCY) said on Tuesday that Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami has ordered the Nigerian Police Force in the South West to stop the planned solidarity walk for Amotekun scheduled for today?

In a chat with The Guardian, YCY president Oladotun Hassan claimed the police said they were directed to stop the solidarity walk by Malami.

“If anything happens to any Yoruba tribe we will hold him responsible,” Hassan told The Guardian.

He said the protest was peaceful solidarity for the South-West security outfit ‘Amotekun’ that was declared illegal by the Nigerian government.

“We are tired of these senseless killings. From the report I received in Ogun and Osun States, armed police officers are at their respective venue of the protest to hinder the solidarity walk.”

We gathered that people in Lagos have started gathering for the rally slated to hold in support of Operation Amotekun, the security outfit set up by the governors of South West states to secure the region from menace of banditry, kidnapping and other criminal activities.

However, men of Nigeria Police have barricaded the Gani Fawehinmi Park where the event is to hold, thereby preventing entrancei into the park.

Also in Oyo Sate, security operatives at the protest venue has been boosted with the presence of officers from the Department of State Service (DSS) and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

Inscriptions on the banners displayed by the protesters read “Yoruba Omo Oodua: Protect Yourself, Amotekun”, “On Amotekun we stand”, “We want to know who owns the Land. Amotekun”, No Amotekun, No Hisbah”, among others.

In Ogun State, although the rally is yet to commence but the armed Operatives from the Police, DSS, NSCDC and other special units of the Police had stormed the venue ahead of time and stationed themselves at strategic locations by the entrances and the surrounding streets.

Some on plain clothes security Operatives were also sighted discretely taking vigil at different access ways to Panseke.

Panseke derives its boisterousness and name to the June 12, 1993 struggle, having being theatres of most borne fires and rallying ground for June 12 crusaders and democracy struggles.

The Commissioner of Police in Ogun State, Kenneth Ebrimson, who visited the Amotekun Rally venue said the people have rights to peaceful assembly as enshrined in the constitution but added that security Operatives were put on ground to forestall any breach of peace.

Ebrimson warned whoever tries to harass or intimidate other law abiding Nigerians from engaging in their legitimate business in the name of rally would have the full weight of the law “descending ruthlessly on him.”

Meanwhile, in Osun State, a group which consist of Agbekoya, hunters guide and other stakeholders converged at the Nelson Mandela Freedom Park Osogbo at about 9:20am before it commenced procession through major streets of the state capital.

Security operatives, consisting of Police, Department of State Security, Civil Defense Corps were also visible in their numbers to ensure that the protest is not hijacked by hoodlums.

The procession started at exactly 10:30 led by the coordinator, Dr. Akin Adejumo and escorted by the security operatives.