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10 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020 :Vanguard News :@vanguardnews :@vanguardnews NEWS HOTLINES: 08052867023, 08052867058 •Vehicles for Operation Amotekun Amotekun personnel to bear arms with IGP’s approval —S/WEST AGs By Dapo Akinrefon, Dayo Johnson, Evelyn Usman, Victoria Ojeme, Rotimi Ojomoyela, Adeola Badru & James Ogunnaike L AGOS—THE Attorneys General of the six South West States have agreed that the operatives of the Security Network Agency codenamed Operation Amotekun, will be allowed to bear licenced arms subject to the approval of the Inspector- General of Police. However, the Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Frank Mba, declined to state the kind of firearms the Amotekun personnel will bear. I have not seen it (Amotekun Bill) I don’t know its content and I cannot speak on something I have not seen, he told Vanguard on phone, yesterday. Section 18 of the Amotekun draft bill states that: (1) “The Ekiti State Amotekun Corps shall, subject to the approval of the Inspector General of Police have the power to bear licensed arms in the performance of its duties and as may be incidental to the operation of its objectives under this Law. (2) The Ekiti State Amotekun Corps shall also have power to: (a) collaborate with similar security agencies, particularly in Ogun, Lagos, Ondo, Osun and Oyo states in the enforcement of the provisions of this Law; and (b) share intelligence, equipment and resources with similar security agencies, particularly in Ogun, Lagos, Ondo, Osun and Oyo states. Fire Arms Act According to the Fire Arms Act, only the President and Inspector General of Police are authorized to issue •I'm yet to see the Bill — FPRO; what the Fireams Act says •Ondo, Ogun, Ekiti, Oyo excos approve bill; Lagos, Osun keep mum •Bill 'll get accelerated hearing — Ondo, Oyo speakers •Amotekun beginning of restructuring—Victor Attah license for firearms. Part Two of the Fire Act states: No person shall have in his possession or under his control any firearm of one of the categories specified in Part I of the Schedule hereto (hereinafter referred to as a prohibited firearm) except in accordance with a license granted by the President acting in his discretion. No person shall have in his possession or under his firearms control any firearm of one of the categories specified in Part II of the Schedule to this Act (hereinafter referred to as a personal firearm) except in accordance with a licence granted in respect thereof by the Inspector-General of Police, which licenses shall be granted or refused in accordance with principles decided upon by the National Council of Ministers. There are, however, insinuations that if the operational modus of Armotekun, in terms of issuing firearms to members is not in line with the federal government’s position, it may hit the brick wall. Again, if its legislation clashes with that of existing federal legislation, there are fears that it could be rendered void to the extent of the inconsistency. A senior security agent who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said, If their law runs foul of the firearms law, then it will be void to the extent of the inconsistency.” So, I wonder how they are going to get the license for those arms if they don’t bring their operational modus in line with the federal government’s position. Ondo, Ogun, Oyo, Ekiti govts approve Amotekun Meanwhile, the Ondo, Ogun, Oyo and Ekiti state governments have approved the proposal for the creation of Amotekun. At press time yesterday, the Lagos and Osun state governments were yet to approve the Amotekun bill just as the Oyo State House of Assembly said it will consider the operational legal framework for the security outfit today (Thursday). Operatives of the outfit cannot be sued Meanwhile, as the Ekiti State House of Assembly considers the bill that would give legal backing to Amotekun Corps, an aspect of the bill stipulates that the operatives cannot be sued. Article 34, Part IV, under Miscellaneous provisions in, states: Acts done in the course of duty by any member of the Board, staff of the Agency or member of the Ekiti State Amotekun Corps is, hereby, excluded from liability and shall not be sued in his or her personal capacity for any lawful act done in the course of duty. It was gathered that the drafters deliberately inserted this section to insulate officials from the encumbrances of legal procedures in the course of discharging their duty. Another part of the bill that gives enormous powers to Amotekun operatives is in article 36 under the title: Obstruction of Amotekun Corps Member in the performance of his duty. This article stipulates: “Any person who willfully hinders, delays, obstructs or assaults a member of the Ekiti State Amotekun Corps in the course of the exercise of his lawful duties under this Law shall be guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term of one month or to a fine not exceeding N250, 000 or to both such fine and imprisonment.” A security expert, Mr. James Ajulo, advised the lawmakers to whittle down the bill granting sweeping powers to the outfit. It’s dangerous to insulate operatives from prosecution —Ajulo Ajulo in a chat with Vanguard said: “Beautiful as this section of the bill may look, there is a need for the legislators to give the whole bill a holistic and specific review, to reduce these powers. Insulating them from prosecution has removed checks. When you give guns to people they need constant checks. Ondo exco approves bill After the approval by the State Executive Committee, the Ondo State Commissioner for information and Orientation, Donald Ojogo, said the bill will be transmitted to the State House of Assembly for legislative scrutiny and passage into Law. Ojogo said: “In an exhaustive session of deliberations, Council took time to peruse every detail contained in the Bill that was presented by the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Kola Olawoye, SAN, and now it is ready to be transmitted to the state House of Assembly for passage. “The Draft Bill has six parts and 44 Sections. It is also gratifying to disclose that every apprehension or fear expressed has been adequately looked into. “This is even as Traditional Rulers will now have roles to play in the operations of the security outfit pursuant to its passage into law by the State Assembly. “Government finds it pertinent to reiterate that this laudable initiative is aimed at complementing the efforts of the Nation’s security agencies.” Bill‘ll be given accelerated hearing —Ondo Speaker The Speaker of Ondo State House of Assembly, Mr. Bamidele Oloyelogun, said the bill would receive accelerated hearing and passage. Given the importance of the bill to the people of the state, Oloyelogun said the lawmakers would do the needful as soon as they get the bill from the executive arm of government. Ogun excos approve bill Also, the Ogun State Executive Council after an extensive deliberation that lasted close 10 hours and presided over by Governor Dapo Abiodun approved the bill. At the meeting, the Governor went down memory lane on how he escaped unscathed exactly a year ago when loyalists of his predecessor pelted leaders of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Abeokuta as the party’s flag was being handed over to him by chieftains of the party including President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, National Leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu among other big wigs. Abiodun, however, said he does not hold any grudge against anyone that played a part in the February 11, 2019 incident. His words: “I have said often times that I do not bear grudge against anybody. You are all part of the scriptures that needed to be fulfilled. So, for all those who fought us, stoned us, intimidated us, harassed us, beat us, they all had their part to play so that the scripture can be fulfilled. Accordingly, we have forgiven them, more importantly; God has crowned us with a victory. “I could not believe that in this state, in which I am a bonafide son of the soil, a state of many firsts, that such a show of shame was taking place before my very eyes, in front of the Number one and Number two persons in this country, I could not just believe it... that date, February 11, 2019 – for me marked the turning point in the process of us getting to this seat. It was a defining moment.” Amotekun Corp Bill Addressing journalists at the end of the Executive Council meeting, the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General of the State, Mr. Adegbolahan Adeniran said the presentation of the bill before the state council followed the earlier approval by the Attorney Generals and Commissioners of Justice of the six Southwest states. Adeniran said: “We presented the bill for the creation of the Ogun State Security Network Agency or what many call the Amotekun Corp Bill of 2020. “Today, the Executive Council of Ogun State met and adopted a draft as amended of a bill for a law to establish the Ogun State Security Network Agency. This agency is the agency that will comprise of the Amotekun Corp and this bill will be transmitted to the House of Assembly before the end of this week.” Why Amotekun personnel will bear arms Similarly, the Oyo State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Oyelowo Oyewo, explained why a provision for the bearing of arms was included in the Amotekun bill. The Oyo State House of Assembly has promised to consider the operational legal framework for the security outfit today. The Speaker, Mr. Debo Ogundoyin stated that Assembly would set a pace by giving speedy consideration to the bill when presented for enactment. He also announced that the assembly would be holding a security summit soon to address the issue of insecurity, violence against women, children and other life-threatening issues in the state. Speaking with Vanguard, Prof. Oyewo said that the provision for bearing arms for the Amotekun corps was in compliance with the extant law in Nigeria to bear arms and that it is seeking the President’s permit. His words: “There is a law on bearing of arms, there is a provision in the Amotekun law that is in compliance with the extant law in Nigeria to Continues on Page 11
Vanguard, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020 — 11 Continues from Page 10 :Vanguard News Amotekun personnel to bear arms with IGP’s approval bear arms, that is seeking the President’s permit. You can’t bear arms without a permit. “Beyond arms, there are other security equipment that you don’t need such rigorous process to bear but when it comes to bearing of firearms, the firearms act and prohibition law make guidelines and these will be complied with in seeking the necessary permission. “So, the Attorneys- General of the Southwest zone including Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo and Lagos states came together with the intervention of DAWN commission that has been piloting the process, and we are able to have a draft model bill to be adopted by each of the states in accordance with their local circumstances and situations as the need arises. “And this is not the first time, for example, the extant law in Ogun state relating to neighbourhood watch has provisions for bearing of arms. There are even other bodies like Joint Task Force, Hisbah in the North East that are bearing arms. So, the case of Amotekun is not a peculiar one.” “We have a situation where this network is established to complement the police and security agencies in the light of the insecurity incidence not only in the Southwest but also all over Nigeria. It must be noted that the primary obligation for policing in the constitution is vested in the Nigerian Police but there are also constitutional obligations imposed on the state and governments at the local level to ensure the security of lives and property and this is what is taking place. It is a complementary security network outfit.’’ It’s the beginning of restructuring —Attah Throwing his weight behind the outfit, former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Victor Attah, said that Amotekun is the beginning of the restructuring of the country. Attah blamed the insecurity ravaging the country on lack of a proper system of governance adding that Nigeria abandoned the path of federalism agreed upon at independence and deviated into a unitary system that has failed. He said: “We started this nation as a federal assembly of various regions, every region was to a very large extent autonomous and ensured that security was maintained and then suddenly we changed it to a unitary system. So that is the problem.” Attah spoke in an interview with reporters, yesterday, in Abuja, on the sidelines of the conferment of the award of the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star by the Emperor of Japan on former Minister of Budget and National Planning, Sen. Udoma Udo Udoma, in recognition of his efforts in promoting trade and investment between Japan and Nigeria. The former governor said: “It is a sign that when the time for an idea has come and one tries to resist it, the idea will manifest itself. Amotekun is the beginning of restructuring and it will continue. Nigerians better take warning and do it constitutionally and properly otherwise it will be total havoc and we can end up like Somalia. “We must restructure this country back to a federal system otherwise we are going to end up with a lot of problems. In fact, I move on to say that there will be no Nigeria even to restructure if we don’t do it quickly. ” Amotekun’s unanswered questions —Efoziem, security expert Speaking on the proposed use of firearms by Amotekun, Chairman, Chief Executive, Strict Guard security, Dr. Bone Efoziem, said if the Act Bill is signed into law, it gives legitimacy to the body as a legal segment of the security architecture of the nation. However, it also poses a legal threat to the federating unit. Now, don’t forget that the control of this body, its leadership will only be coming from a segment of the Nigerian nation, which is the South Western states. The recruitment, the appointment, the posting has no federal nature. His words: “The question will be, to what extent will their roles be controlled and monitored? Which of the federal agencies will be playing a supervisory role over them? What are the limits of their authority in the use of arms, arrest and all other activities that will affect both indigenes and non-indigenes of the South Western states? “If these people are going to act in that order, to a large extent, it will look like either a regional Army or a regional Police. :@vanguardnews :@vanguardnews NEWS HOTLINES: 08052867023, 08052867058 2ND NIGER BRIDGE—Works and Housing Minister, Babatunde Fashola, flanked on the right by Julius Berger Project Manager, Eng. Friedrich Wieser, and other officials of the Ministry of Works and Housing, on the completed first deck of the Second Niger Bridge, Tuesday. Why we diverted flights to Ghana —NAMA By Lawani Mikairu, with agency reports LAGOS—THE Nigeria Airspace Management Agency, NAMA, yesterday, explained that the frequent diversions of flights bound for Murtala Mohammed international airport Lagos by foreign airlines to neighbouring countries were as a result of inclement weather in Lagos. On Monday, British Airways was reported to have diverted to Accra as the weather in Lagos continues to fluctuate. Speaking about the flight diversion, General Manager, Public Affairs, NAMA, Mr. Khalid Emele, said the Instrument Landing Systems, ILS, on the two runways of the Lagos airports are serviceable. He, however, said the agency “notes with concern, the inability of A WKA—MINISTER of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN, yesterday, walked on top of the first deck of the Second Niger Bridge across under a guided tour directed by project engineers of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc. An elated Fashola told journalists on tour with him that the Buhari administration was determined to ensure and complete the monumental project in February 2022, with a definite funding some international flights to land at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, largely due to issues of inclement weather and company minimas of affected airlines. Our position is that such diversions are in the interest of safety.” “The facts on record, however, are as follows: Lagos has two runways- 18 Right and 18 Left. The Doppler Very High Omni- Directional Radio Range (DVOR) and the Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) at the airport have successfully been calibrated and passed 100%.” Emele also said: “The localizer (a component of the Instrument Landing System) responsible for horizontal guidance at runway 18 Left has also passed 100% calibration while the glide slope (which is another component of the Instrument Landing System that provides vertical guidance) is undergoing routine maintenance and by tomorrow (12/02/2020), the maintenance will be concluded and the equipment shall be fully on air. “On Runway 18 Right, there is Category 3 ILS which is still undergoing installation. Presently, Selex Systems, the contractors are working on the realignment of its parameters, preparatory to the calibration and commissioning of the equipment in the shortest possible time.” Passengers speak One of the passengers in the BA aircraft, Mr. Olayiwola Zaid, while speaking to PRNigeria, said the reason why their flight was suddenly diverted to Ghana was twopronged owing to the absence of modern lighting equipment to clear the aircraft for landing. He pointed out that while some airlines touched down at Lagos airport successfully, their Boeing 747-400 aircraft from London could not land at MMIA, owing to the size of the aircraft and absence of good lighting equipment. Zaid, a UK-based business intelligence analyst, however, said all of them (the passengers) onboard the BA075 flight were calm amid the frightening incident. Speaking to PRNigeria on the incident, spokesperson for the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu, said the flights were not diverted to Ghana over lack of basic navigation and landing equipment at MMIA, but due to poor weather condition in Lagos after the aircrafts had arrived the country. Fashola, others walk on first deck of 2nd Niger Bridge ....To be delivered Feb 2022 By Soni Daniel, Northern Region Editor arrangement put in place by the Federal Government to ensure that there was no delay of any kind. The Minister said: “This is one project that President Muhammadu Buhari wants to see its early completion and we are mobilizing funds from all sources, including Nigeria’s money that was stolen and stashed away in foreign lands, to ensure that it becomes a reality. “I want to assure all Nigerians that given the economic and strategic importance of the bridge to the country and the states on the route, we are determined more than ever to ensure its early completion so that Nigerians can derive its full benefits.” Fashola also disclosed that the reclamation of seven kilometers of swamp areas for the construction of access road to link Owerribound traffic to the bridge was progressing steadily while the completion of the first deck of the one lane of the bridge is scheduled for August this year. Julius Berger’s Project Manager, Engr. Friedrich Wieser, told the Federal Government delegation that the company had so far deployed 1,300 workers and 425 equipment to the site of the 2nd Niger Bridge, to ensure that the project is delivered as scheduled. Wieser disclosed that work on the project had reached a 33 percent completion level. “We do not have any challenge of any kind regarding the work on the bridge and we want to assure that the entire project would be completed in February 2022,” Wieser stated. The minister had earlier inspected the progress of work at the Anambra State Federal Secretariat at Awka, where he directed the contractor handling the project to design and incorporate a lift into the project for the interest of the elderly and handicapped persons who may use the facility.
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