AGF lacks power to declare Amotekun illegal – Makinde

Laide Raheem, Abeokuta

Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde on Wednesday declared that the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, lacks the power to declare the legality or otherwise of the newly- launched South West security outfit code-named “Operation Amotekun”.

He noted that it would be improper for the Attorney General to outrightly condemn the constitutionality of “Amotekun” without due recourse to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, particularly when his duties are only limited to interpreting laws.

Makinde gave this position while fielding questions from newsmen, after meeting with the former president, Olusegun Obasanjo at his private residence inside the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

He, however, urged members of the public to regard the statement credited to the Attorney General as hearsay, noting “neither myself nor any other governor from the South West who co-sponsored the regional security outfit has even been officially communicated over the constitutionality of “Amotekun”.

“My personal position is that you actually don’t run a government on social media. If I see a letter or a call from the AGF telling me what he just said, then it will be a different reaction. But I have been reading it just like you read it on the social media. I haven’t seen anything official to that effect”, the governor said.

“I don’t think in a country like Nigeria, the AGF will just wake up and make his own laws. He may interpret and advise the president on the issue,” he stated.

Makinde emphasised that Amotekun was formed to complement the efforts of the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies in fighting insecurity in the Southwest region of the country.

When asked about the main purpose of his visit to Obasanjo, Makinde simply replied that ” I have come to visit Baba to wish him a happy New Year. You know, he is our Baba.”