No bill yet on Amotekun in S/West Houses of assembly

• We want law Supreme Court can’t quash — Ogun AG

Governors in the six states of the South West geo-political zone are yet to transmit bills on Operation Amotekun to their respective assemblies in line with the truce they reached last week with the federal government, Daily Trust reports.

It could be recalled that at the end of a meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo last Thursday at the Presidential Villa, it was agreed that legal instrument be put in place through the state houses of assembly on the security outfit.

However, findings by our correspondents in the six state assemblies of Ekiti, Lagos, Ondo, Ogun, Osun and Oyo revealed that the governors were yet to forward an executive bill on the security outfit for the consideration of the parliaments.

In Ekiti, findings by our correspondent revealed that the draft law has not been transmitted by the state governor. But the Ekiti State House of Assembly has expressed its support for the security outfit.

The Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Yemisi Ayokunle, in a chat yesterday said the house had decided to support the novel initiative of the South West governors in combating insecurity in the region.

He said the assembly would leave no stone unturned in giving the necessary legislative backing to Operation Amotekun in the region and the nation at large.

She, however, did not give specific comments on whether a bill on Amotekun had been transmitted or was being considered in line with the federal government’s directive.

In Lagos, findings by our correspondent revealed that currently, work is ongoing on the draft bill to give legal backing to Amotekun.

It was however not clear when the bill would be ready as the House, which is on recess, confirmed yesterday that the bill is yet to be transmitted to it.

Chairman of the House Committee on Information Hon. Tunde Buraimoh in a chat with our correspondent confirmed that the bill was being worked on, adding that the legislature was ready to work on it as soon as it got to the House.

He said despite being on recess, the House would give the bill speedy consideration.

The Ondo State House of Assembly said it would soon come out with a bill to give legal backing to Amotekun.

Although the House is currently on recess, the chairman, House Committee on Information, Olugbenga Omole, told Daily Trust yesterday that it is one of the top agenda on the list.

In Osun, the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Hon Timothy Owoeye, said the bill on Amotekun has not been transmitted to the House.  He said the Conference of Speakers of Houses of Assembly in the South West met and backed Amotekun in the resolution.

He said there are certain existing laws in each of the states that catered for such mechanism for ensuring the safety of lives and property of the people.

He said as time goes on, necessary steps would be taken to enact necessary laws for the security network among the South West states.

In Oyo, the bill has not been transmitted. The chairman, House Committee on Information and spokesperson of the House, Qozeem Olayanju, told Daily Trust that the House was expecting the bill from the executive before the next sitting which, according to him, is slated for next week Tuesday.

For Ogun, the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, Akingbolahan Adeniran, said the South West states are drafting a legal framework that would stand the test of time on Amotekun.

Adeniran hinted that the attorneys-general of the affected states would not propose a law that would be quashed at the Supreme Court in the future.

This, according to him, would take “a bit of time” to arrive at a final bill that would be presented at the Houses of Assembly.

He spoke while responding to questions from journalists in his office at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta yesterday.

Adeniran said “We (Attorneys – General) resolved that we would prepare a draft which would be approved at the state level and then be presented at various Houses of Assembly for passage and signed into law by the respective governors. So, we are in the process of preparing the draft,” he said.