The Nigerian Bar Association has cautioned the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), about his opposition to the South-West security outfit, Operation Amotekun. The National Publicity Secretary of the NBA, Mr. Kunle Edun, stated this in an interview on Wednesday evening while responding on behalf of the association to Malami’s statement that Operation Amotekun was illegal.
Faulting the AGF, Edun said Malami should not be too legalistic on the protection of lives and property, saying in “civilized climes security is everyone’s business. Prominent Nigerians, including the Nobel laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka; and ex-Chairman of the NBA, Mr. Olisa Agbakoba, SAN; human rights lawyers, Femi Falana, SAN, and Ebu-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), had kicked against the AGF’s pronouncement.
The South-West governors on Thursday last week, launched Operation Amotekun, to tackle a series of killings and kidnapping in the zone by Fulani herdsmen.
But following Malami’s pronouncement, the Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, who is also the Chairman of the South-West Governors’ Forum, on Wednesday, said the zone would first seek a political solution to the AGF’s opposition. “If that fails, we will go to court and allow the court to decide,” he added.
The NBA spokesman, in the interview, said the law allows a person or group of persons to protect themselves within the framework of the law and/or report untoward activities to the police. What is needed now is collaboration and partnership between the South-West governors and the Federal Government to agree on the best security formula. It should be a win-win situation, he said.
Also, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, supported the Operation Amotekun regional security outfit of the South-West geopolitical zone. Kanu, in a state statement he personally signed, said the arrangement was laudable.
The statement read in part, “The final and definitive stance of the Biafran people is that IPOB will support Operation Amotekun with all our might.