Enact Law Legalising ‘Amotekun’, Falana Urges South-West Govs

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, on Tuesday, urged governors in the South-West to enact laws to legitimize operation ‘Amotekun’.
Falana, who made this call during a media briefing in Lagos, urged the governors to forward a bill to the house of assembly of their respective state for the formation of Amotekun.
He said the absence of an enabling legal instrument for the establishment of Amotekun has been responsible for various divergent views expressed by different groups.
The statement reads: “Even though I had cause to join issues with Mr Malami over his legal opinion on the security outfit, I was compelled to call on each of the south-west governors to forward a bill to the house of assembly of each state for the formation of Amotekun.
“In the absence of an enabling legal instrument for the establishment of Amotekun, various interest groups in the country have continued to express divergent views on the needless controversy, that has trailed the official inauguration of the security outfit.
“Apart from those who are strenuously opposed to Amotekun, the concerned people in the south-west zone who have embraced the security initiative are entitled to know the law setting it up.
“Therefore, the attorneys-general in the states in the south-west zone should be saddled with the urgent responsibility of ensuring that the enabling laws for Amotekun are enacted by the respective houses of assembly without any further delay.
“However, the federal government should not resort to force or self-help in resolving the constitutional dispute.
“In a society where the rule of law prevails, self-help is not available to the Executive or any arm of government.
“In view of the fact that such conduct could breed anarchy and totalitarianism, and since anarchy and totalitarianism are antitheses to democracy, courts operating the rule of law are under a constitutional duty to stand against such action,” he stated.