Fayemi directs AG to present Law to EXCO next Wednesday.
The much-awaited bill for a law to establish the Ekiti State Security Network Agency and AMOTEKUN Corps has been completed. The Ekiti State Attorney- General and Commissioner for Justice, Olawale Fapohunda at the end of a meeting of South West Attorneys- General, disclosed this in Ibadan yesterday.
According to Fapohunda, the Attorneys- General of the six states in the South West have agreed on the broad outlines of a model AMOTEKUN Law that will be adopted in the six states. The Ekiti State Attorney- General said that following this development, the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. John Kayode Fayemi has directed the State Ministry of Justice to present the legislation for the consideration of the State Executive Council no latter than Wednesday 12 February 2020.
Speaking on the extent to which the law will be similar across six south west states Fapohunda said that ‘based on our histories and current realities, each of the six states has individual needs and expectations from the AMOTEKUN Law. The Model AMOTEKUN Law adopted by us appropriately reflects these expectations and is flexible enough to accommodate individual circumstances. We were also guided by international standards and best practices in the field of community policing’
On the Ekiti State AMOTEKUN Law, Fapohunda said that ‘we have drafted a law that is concise and comprise only the most necessary provisions. Community policing is an important component of the Ekiti State AMOTEKUN Law’. He said key features of the Ekiti State AMOTEKUN Law include; the establishment of the Ekiti State Security Network Agency that will oversee the operations of the Ekiti State AMOTEKUN Corps; the powers of the Ekiti State AMOTEKUN Corps to bear licensed firearms in the performance of their duties subject to the approval of the Inspector- General of Police; clearly stated criteria for enlistment into the Ekiti State AMOTEKUN Corps. This will include rigorous security checks on all applicants; the establishment of a Independent AMOTEKUN Corps Complaints Board to expeditiously inquire into and report on any matter regarding the conduct of AMOTEKUN Corps specifically as it relates to abuse of power including corruption and human rights violation.