South-West Governors’ Forum Chairman Rotimi Akeredolu has said recruitment into Amotekun Corps may begin this week.
The Ondo State Governor, who spoke through his Special Adviser on Security Matters, Alhaji Jimoh Dojumo, also said the security outfit initiated by South-West governors to tackle insecurity in the region, would take off in the next three weeks.
He said, “All arrangements have been finalised. The training of the personnel will last for 21 days but there will be more training and retraining for them.
“The security agencies will train those recruited. The recruitment and training will go together.”
Dojumo, a retired police officer, added, “We are being very careful to avoid flaws. The recruitment may start next week (this week) and immediately after the recruitment training will start.
“But our target time is before the end of March you will see them patrolling roads in the South-West.”
The Akeredolu’s aide also said there would be no specially designed uniform for the corps members.
No formal arrangement with South-West govs yet, says Abdulrazaq
Meanwhile, the Kwara State Government has said it is yet to have a formal arrangement on Amotekun.
The North-Central state shares boundaries with Oyo, Osun and Ekiti states.
Our correspondent learnt that major stakeholders in the protection of the state had expressed their readiness to cooperate with the South-West outfit if the state government was ready.
Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq had said he would welcome any arrangements to keep the people of the state safe.
However, he has yet to enter into any formal arrangement with South-West governors on Amotekun.
“Security is a dynamic issue that requires collaboration and intelligence sharing among all stakeholders,” the governor said through his Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, as saying on Saturday.
“We are open to collaboration that will strengthen security and peace across borders.
“However, we currently do not have any formal arrangement to key into the Amotekun initiative. As a government, we will work with other sub-national and national governments to continue to keep Kwara safe.”
The President of Afonja Descendants Union Alhaji Olola Kasum said the people of the state had been supporting Amotekun because it would the people.
Kasum said, “Amotekun is a good idea, we welcome it and we will like to work with it. It is for the safety of our people and anything that happens in the South-West will affect us here. It is a good idea and we are fully in support of it. We will cooperate with them.”
The Hunters and Vigilante Association in the state expressed their readiness to work with Amotekun if the state government keyed into it.
Spokesman for the association, Alhaji Sulaiman Ayodeji aka Akikanju Ode, said, “The hunters and vigilantes are under the police, we cannot do anything unless the state government embraces Amotekun.
“We have to cooperate with them if we want protection for our people, because Kwara shares boundaries with Oyo in Asa and Baruten councils, with Osun in Oyun council and with Ekiti in Irepodun, Oke-Ero and Ekiti councils. It will pay us if we cooperate with these states on Amotekun.
“We have advised the government but they are yet to give us a reply.”
The Olofa of Offa, Oba Gbadamosi Esuwoye 11, said he would not comment on Amotekun since the state was not part of the South-West.
Oba Gbadamosi, who spoke through his Chief of Staff, Prince Tunji Oyawoye, said, “We know where we belong, we are in Kwara and Kwara is not part of the South-West where Amotekun was launched.”
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