In this interview by ‘YOMI AYELESO, the Corps Commander of the Ekiti State Security Network Agency code-named Amotekun, Brigadier-General Joe Komolafe (retd), speaks on the operations of the security outfit in the state, herdsmen attacks, the recent onslaught against the network and other sundry issues.
Since the inauguration of Amotekun in October last year in the state, how will you describe the assignment given to you by the state government ?
It has been very interesting. Although, the demands of the job are not new to me, the dynamics change occasionally. It is, however, a privilege to serve my people with all my energy and skills because in doing that, I have been given the opportunity to give back to the society which nurtured me.
In recent times, there were cases of killings and kidnappings in the state and it appears you are overwhelmed. How have you and your men been coping ?
We commenced operations just three months ago and it would be ludicrous to compare us and our performance with other security agencies that have been around for years. We have to acclimatise and study the trend of crimes in the state and then form winning strategies to combat it.
I want you to also remember that there is no society that is free of crime. What makes a difference between success and failure in combating crime is the response to the activities of the criminals. Criminals will always be around and as the world is advancing, so will they continue to improve on their tactics. The strategy we are employing is to anticipate what is going on about their moves and find strategies to prevent the criminals from actualising their plans. I can assure you that we are up to the task in Ekiti state.
Within the three months since we commenced operations, we can modestly count some of our achievements. We arrested a lot of suspected kidnappers and they have been handed over to the police for necessary investigation and prosecution. We arrested a gang who killed a man and buried him in a shallow grave. The murderers stole the man’s motorcycle and escaped to Kogi State, but we are still on that case. Herders in Okemesi hacked an 80-year-old man because he charged them not to destroy his farm. They were also apprehended because they are not the usual herdsmen we knew years ago. Only criminals would go to a farm, uproot the cassava which farmers laboured over and feed them to their cows. We have made several arrests and the suspects have provided useful information which is helping our work.
We have also sent a veiled message to herders in the state and they are abiding by the rules now. If we arrest your cows for destroying a farm , it will be taken to the state ranch and you will be asked to pay for the cost of what your cows destroyed before they are released to you. The farmer-sherders clashes are now significantly reduced in Ekiti State.
But are you overwhelmed in view of the recent cases of crimes in the state?
No, we are not overwhelmed, we are up to the task. Though, we are relatively young in the business, we are not overwhelmed because we have skills and a reasonable number of operatives to respond to or prevent crime, as the case demands. We have good working relationships with other security agencies in the state too. I can say that we are on top of the situation.
In all of these , what is the place of technology in fighting crimes in our society?
The place of technology in fighting crimes today cannot be overemphasised. Although, there is a popular saying that your eye is the best because nobody can see things the way your eye will see it, technology is now more advanced and intelligent and it can enhance our efforts at combating crime in a great way.
Let me give you an instance, if an aircraft is coming, with technology you will know the type of aircraft that is coming and what it can do, even several minutes before your eyes will sight it. If we have the appropriate technology, as I am sitting with you, anybody outside this place can pick our images and what we are doing. With the right technology, you can even take out kidnappers in their dens without going to the place. Remember how the Afghan security chief was taken out in 2019? We have been entering the bushes and when we are close to the kidnappers , they will run and abandon the victims. But if you have the appropriate technology, which I know we will soon have, we will just pin down the location of kidnappers in the forests, surround the place and arrest them like chickens; commando style. I thank God that our governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has promised to get us modern security technologies to assist us. When these sophisticated equipment come, and with God on our side, I don’t see how criminals can hide in the state.
We have seen recently that these criminals live and stay in the forests, what are you doing in the immediate to drive them away from the forest?
Yes, they stay in the bushes to commit these crimes. We will try as much as possible to map out this state. One of the principles of fighting crimes in non-built up areas is proper thorough and detailed planning. What we are confronted with is jungle warfare. The forests we see here can’t be found in Katsina, Kano and most Northern states because there, you can see as far as your eyes can go. But in this place, we have to be very careful because we have very thick forests and your eyes might not be able to see far. If you are not careful, the hunter might become the hunted in these thick forests and we don’t want to lose our operatives needlessly. That is why we are taking our time to engage in thorough planning and mapping. As soon as the equipment we have been promised arrive, we will put all plans in motion to curb the spate of crime in the state. By the grace of God, criminal elements will be shown the way out of Ekiti state.
Some stakeholders in the region have said that for effective fighting against crimes to be guaranteed, the Amotekun personnel must be allowed to carry arms. What is your take on this?
I support the calls for the corps to bear arms because action and reaction are opposite and at the same time, equal. If the person I want to checkmate is carrying weapons, sophisticated ones at that, do I use my bare hands to fight Kung-fu with such a person? Of course not! Some persons have talked about traditional methods, that is good also, but these have very severe limitations at times.
Many of these kidnappers carry sophisticated arms. If we are combing the forests for instance, and kidnappers lay ambush for us, it would be impossible to start looking for charms when the attacker surprises you from behind.
It is when I see the person that the traditional method can work but if I carry my weapon, I believe we can go fire for fire. If you sow wind, you will reap whirlwind . I am one of those who believe in, not just carrying of weapons, but using automatic weapons. The important issue though is that weapons usage should be controlled. The operatives must also have proper training before being allowed to carry arms. It should also not be handled by all the men. I have handled weapons before now and I know what I am talking about. So, I don’t agree that men of the corps should not carry arms because it will limit our response and expose our men to unnecessary harm.
What is your reaction to the recent onslaught on Amotekun in some quarters?
All I know is that in every team of twelve, there must be a Judas. There are people I can call fifth columnists, even among the Yoruba’s in the South-West, where this initiative arose to secure our lives and property. Some people in the region don’t want Amotekun to succeed and having failed in their bid to stop its inauguration, they have changed tactics to whip up sentiments against the corps. It is just a case of calling a dog bad names in order to hang it. For instance, when Amotekun was in its formative stage, some persons came up that they should be the ones to command and control the security outfit just because they have structures on ground and only local strategies can solve the situation.
These people have been around for so long but the security situation degenerated before them and they had no solution to it, yet they wanted the government to still saddle them with this assignment. The southwest governments, in their wisdom, thought that if they handed over the organisation to an individual, it would become a hydra-headed monster that would be difficult to tame. They thus rejected their suggestion and this is the reason for the bad press we are receiving now.
We are not transmuting to any existing organisations. You don’t expect people like that to be happy. These people are not happy. There are also people who want to score political points with some people, maybe I am not sure. It is still the work of fifth columnists. There is no machine that is 100 per cent acceptable to all and everyone in the society cannot accept Amotekun.
Do you know that with the introduction of the washing machine, some people still believe that their clothes can never be well-cleaned, except they use their hands? All I am saying is that if majority appreciate our work and efforts, that is fine. That is the beauty of democracy. The people that established the corps have good intentions and I want to believe these fifth columnists will have a change of mind very soon. I appeal to all to exercise patience. Our efforts will soon begin to pay off.
What are your expectations from residents of the state in the fight against crime ?
Like I always tell everybody who cares to listen, security is not rocket science , it is everybody’s business. It is a ‘give and take’ business. Security must start from the people. We must be our neighbours’ keeper. We must be able to monitor our environment and give accurate information in our domains. Also, citizens can contribute to crime fighting by donating money to the cause. The government might not be able to provide all that is needed. Ekiti State has a security trust fund and our well-meaning citizens can send their contributions to this fund. People can also donate crime-fighting technologies; like we have discussed earlier. We need to join hands with the government to make our state safe from these bandits.
