The Deji of Akure of Kingdom, Aladelusi Aladetoyinbo, has asked President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime to allow the South-West Security Network (Amotekun Corps) to operate with automatic weapons to protect the lives and properties of the people. 

“Without mincing words, I want to plead with the Federal Government to consider the need to approve sophisticated weapons for the Amotekun Corps. The need for the Amotekun Corps to complement the already stretched Federal Police can no longer be overemphasized,” the traditional ruler said on Thursday at the 2022 annual Ulefunta public lecture held in Akure. 

The public lecture held at the main auditorium of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, was titled “curbing electoral violence and allied crimes in contemporary Nigeria: The role of traditional institutions in perspective. 

The latest position of the Akure monarch reinforced the agitations by the people of the South-West who had been demanding a lasting solution to the daunting security challenges mostly bedevilling the region. 

The local security outfit established in the year 2020 collectively by the South-West governors was aimed at tackling the incessant issues of kidnapping for ransom, banditry, terrorism and herders-farmers clashes among others. 

Ondo governor Rotimi Akeredolu, who also doubles as chairman of the Southern Governors Forum, had been at the forefront of the struggle for the establishment of state police. He had repeatedly called on the federal government to allow Amotekun bear heavy arms to defend the people of the region. 

Mr Akeredolu’s voice was made strong following the June 5, 2022 terrorists attack in his home town, Owo, where scores of Christian worshippers were attacked and killed in cold blood in a broad daylight violent invasion. 

But speaking further at the lecture, the Akure monarch said the insecurity ravaging the country has become a national pressing issue that needed to be tackled headlong by the leaders of the country. 

Mr Aladetoyinbo explained that the security challenge has become more worrisome even in the face of uncertainty. He noted that it was high time the current government led by Buhari involved the traditional institutions in providing a homegrown approach to curb the menace. 

“The issue of security has become worrisome even in the face of uncertainty and worsening security situation ranging from banditry, kidnapping, and oil theft, killings, and terrorism, ethnic and religious bigotry among others,” he said. 

According to monarch, the Amotekun Corps has been one of the homegrown approaches that had been yielding the desired result. 

He explained that the huge success recorded by the local security outfit was sustained because the traditional rulers were adequately involved and carried along in the scheme of things.

“It is crystal clear that the reality has now dawned on us on the need for the involvement of our traditional institutions as a means of providing a homegrown approach to curbing insecurity,” the Akure monarch added.

Mr Aladetoyinbo also called on the government to give the grassroots institution a role in the country’s constitution.  

He affirmed that traditional institutions can no longer continue to play a mere advisory role with no defined and specific role that can make them contribute meaningfully to the protection of lives and properties.

A retired director of the Department of State Security Service (SSS), Mike Ejiofor, who was the guest lecturer at the event, said the 2023 general election would be another opportunity for Nigerians to choose wisely. 

Mr Ejiofor, who is also a legal practitioner, noted that most of the gladiators jostling for the presidential seat are already ‘luring’ the electorates in their usual manner against their wish. 

He, however, told the people to collect whatever gifts were presented to them but vote their conscience in the next year’s election, stressing that the youths would also have a critical role to play.