If the revelation of the Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, on the recent launch of ‘Operation Amotekun’ by a consortium of South West governor in Ibadan is anything to go by, a similar security outfit for the North is underway.
Speaking while fielding questions from State House Correspondents after he had audience with President Muhammadu Buhari, in the State House, Friday, he made it clear that the latest gunmen attack that left no fewer than 13 persons dead in Mangu council of the state had sent him back to the drawing board to find a lasting solution.
Whereas South East and South-South governors are yet to wake in the context of the Western Nigeria Security Network (WNSN), codenamed: ‘Operation Amotekun’, opening up further on the emerging northern security militia, Lalong averred that “When you talk about north central, I am chairman of Northern Governors Forum; we have taken a decision sometime last year. You will recall that at one time we met the president and we told him what we were doing. We set up committees and the committees have worked very hard. You will recall that we started our meeting from the northwest in Katsina; we are going back to have another meeting in north central.
“The situation in the South might not be the same with the North but in the North, we are also looking at some ways that will also address these issues. So we have gone ahead to set up committees; those committees have done their work and we are going to meet to address these issues once and for all.
“Two, we have also agreed to key into the community policing and at the level of the committee we have already gone far. Each state is already neck deep in community policing. But I have not read the document; I cannot claim to have read the details of that document to understand what they mean by Amotekun. I saw various vehicles that were bought but you know if it’s about vehicles, many vehicles have been bought in the North. I bought almost 100 vehicles and gave to the police but that is not what will address the insecurity in my state.
“So, it may vary from South to the North but in the North, we are trying to look for a comprehensive ways that will help augment what the Federal Government is doing in respect to insecurity,” Plateau State Governor maintained.
