Osinbajo, South West govs agree on framework to back Amotekun

• YCE condemns Tinubu’s comment
• Ibadan Progressive Union drums support for security outfit

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and South-West governors yesterday met at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, where they resolved to come up with a framework to provide backing to the regional security outfit called Amotekun recently set up in the region.

Specifically, the parley held after the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting, was to address the controversy generated following the recently launched regional security outfit and which the Federal Government had reportedly declared illegal.

Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, who spoke with newsmen on the outcome of their closed-door meeting, said they that they resolved to articulate a legal framework that would provide backing to operations of the security outfit.

“We have robbed minds and all of us have agreed on the way forward. The most important one is that we are going to have legal framework to back this Operation Amotekun. And this legal framework is going to be one which we all are going to look at and will be sure to go without any hindrance.”

He said the security outfit had come to stay.

Also, a statement signed by Osinbajo’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, said the meeting was convened at the instance of the governors who had asked to see President Muhammadu Buhari over the controversy surrounding the Amotekun initiative.

But due to Buhar’s foreign engagement, he asked Osinbajo to host the meeting.

Meanwhile, the Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE) has chided the National Leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, over his late comments on “Operation Amotekun.”

Secretary-General of the council, Dr. Kunle Olajide, who spoke with journalists in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, during a press briefing, said that the statements from Tinubu came a little bit late because the council expected him as a member to also share the pains of the Yoruba and sympathise with them whenever there is a problem.

Olajide said that the Yoruba nation had been offended grievously and assaulted in the last three years, adding that Tinubu, as a foremost leader in Yorubaland, must been seen more regional than federal because his political party, which he leads nationally, controlled five states in the South-West Zone.

He said: “ We are surprised as he said that he just initiated discussion with the Chairman of the South-West Governors’ Forum, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu. We are not happy about this because we want him to be more regional than being federal.

“We expect him to be there when Amotekun was launched. So, for him now to be reacting two to three weeks after the launching is belated and we are not excited because he did not come out pointedly to blame the Attorney-General of the Federation, Malami.”

In a related vein, the Ibadan Progressive Union (IPU) yesterday drummed support for Operation Amotekun and commended the courage of the six governors of the South-West states to secure Yorubaland through a collaborative initiative.

The IPU, according to a statement signed by its President and Secretary, Olayinka Alli and Dr. M.B. Olatunji respectively, declared its support for the security network.