Bwacha Advocates Adopting Amotekun Security Outfit for N’east States

Bwacha Advocates Adopting Amotekun Security Outfit for N’east States

Chuks Okocha and Deji Elumoye in Abuja

The Senate Deputy Minority Leader, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, has called on states in the North-east geo political zone of the country to consider adopting Amotekun, the recently launched security outfit of the South-west.

This, he said, is to ward off the increasing security threats from the Boko Haram insurgents as the military seems overstretched.

Bwacha, who represents Taraba south senatorial district at the Senate, explained his ordeals in the hands of the insurgents and the need for the states in the zone to emulate the Amotekun security network as obtained in the South-west.

Speaking during plenary Wednesday, he said: “The matter I want to explain before my colleagues is topical and unique in a way. Officials in the Federal Ministry of Works went to my senatorial district and I advised them to go with security men.

“As they were going about, they ran into a huge crowd of bandits with bands on their head who rode on motorcycles armed with AK47 rifles. Why I’m saying this, Mr. President, is because insecurity is a topical challenge that we know. On whether the insurgents are everywhere now is a matter this is not known to the public.”

The Senate minority leader explained that the insurgents upon sighting the security agents, ran away and two of those bandits who were caught unawares abandoned their machines because they were not prepared to run, adding that the soldiers exchanged gunfire with them and took their two machines into their vehicles.

This incident, he said, has heightened fears among citizens of Taraba State and its environs, adding that it has given credence to speculations in the social media that they have planned an attack on communities around Yoro and Jalingo, the capital of Taraba State, in a commando style like it happened in Garkida.

According to him, “Why this explanation is necessary is because communities must wake up and complement the role of the military. At this point, I must also commend the people and government of Niger State for the role they played a few days ago. I want to see communities wake up with the same style of Amotekun and protect themselves because our military is overstretched.

“The people must form new strategies to confront this people and this should be the self styled Amotekun as in the South-west.”

In his comment, the Senate President Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan thanked the mover of the motion and said that the Senate has taken note of what he said because it came under Order 43.

Accordingly, the Senate President said: “The Committee on Security will soon finish their work before we know what to do further. Of course, there is no day that passes without a security breach in one way or the order.”

Related Articles