Leaders of the South West region including governors and Traditional rulers gathered in Oyo state on Thursday to launch the region’s security network, Amotekun.
While all the governors were expected to be in attendance, only Rotimi Akeredolu, Kayode Fayemi, and Seyi Makinde, governors of Ondo, Ekiti and Oyo were present.
Oyetola was represented by Benedict Alabi, his deputy.
Delivering his goodwill message, Makinde said Sanwo-Olu and Abiodun were absent owing to the weather condition.
“Even though they are not physically here, I’m sure their spirits are with us here,” Makinde said.
He added that by hosting the launch of the operation and its headquarters, Oyo has added another feather as a state of the firsts.
The network is expected to complement the efforts of the Nigerian Police Force in combating kidnapping, armed robbery, and other security challenges in the region.
The security network agreement was reached in Ibadan, Oyo State in June 2019, at a regional security summit. The summit was a reaction to the worsening security situation in the region.
In reaching the decision to put together a security outfit not completely independent of the existing security structure, the regional governments claimed they had secured a green light from President Muhammadu Buhari with inputs from the IGP to go ahead with the plan.
All of the States, except Oyo State, is governed by the ruling All Progressives Congress. Oyo State governor is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party.
When operational, the governors believe the regional security force would complement the efforts of the police and ensure safety in all the states of the regions, particularly in crannies where the Nigeria Police Force were not hitherto effective.
