Amotekun: Arewa youth leader, Shettima lauds south-west governors
- Influential northern youth leader, Yerima Shettima, has declared his support for Operation Amotekun
- Shettima dismissed insinuations that he is against the formation of the security outfit
- He reminded Nigerians that he has long been an advocate of community policing
Leader of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) Yerima Shettima, has expressed support for the newly inaugurated Operation Amotekun in the southwest, saying he has been an advocate of community policing all along.
Shettima also distanced himself from a northern group which had earlier condemned the move by the southwest.
He urged Nigerians to disregard social media rumours that he and his group were against the inauguration of the Amotekun.
Shettima's AYCF is the biggest and most influential youth organisation in northern Nigeria.
Source: Depositphotos
In a statement sent to journalists on Saturday, January 11, Shettima said if the federal government cannot put measures in place to secure lives and property of Nigerians, state or regional efforts to secure citizens should not be opposed.
“I am an advocate of community policing if I now come out to condemn the inauguration of Amotekun in the South-west that is counterproductive.
“So, I commend the initiative and I will encourage the citizens to cooperate with the system to ensure effective operation which certainly will bring about a secured society, he said.
While urging the Nothern Governors Forum to come up will a similar programme in the north, he added that: “it is a good thing that even the North-west governors are already thinking along that direction.”
Recall that Plateau state governor, Simon Lalong, disclosed that a similar security outfit to Amotekun for the north will soon be unveiled.
Lalong said this while speaking to Aso Villa correspondents after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday, January 10.
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The Northern Youths Council of Nigeria (NYCN) had kicked against the formation of the security outfit in the southwest.
The national president of NYCN, Isah Abubakar, in a statement issued in Kaduna, urged President Muhammadu Buhari, not to allow what he described as “unconstitutionality” to prevail.
Meanwhile, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council has called on the southeast governors to emulate their southwest colleagues by creating a joint security outfit for the region.
The group's president, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, and the secretary-general, Okwu Nnabuike, made the request in a statement.
The group, which expressed readiness to assist the governors on the project, said the joint security outfit will address the security challenges facing the southeast region.
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Operation Amotekun: Should it be replicated in other regions? Nigerians react | Legit TV
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