Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has explained that the regional security outfit, Amotekun Corps has not been activated in Lagos State because the state lacks a formal operational base for the corps to function.
The governor disclosed this yesterday on Arise Television while answering questions on how his administration has fared in the last two years.
He explained that the concept of Amotekun was for members of the corps to focus on border patrol by going into the forest, gather information and relay same to security operatives for further action.
He said: “I was in the committee on Amotekun and I supported it fully. The concept of Amotekun is for the corps to go into the forests and focus on border patrol. But what borders does Lagos have? Is it Berger bus stop where we don’t even know where Lagos ends or begin? We all need to think out of the box and proffer local solutions peculiar to each state.
“Each state has its own challenges; ours in Lagos is not having forests where kidnappers hide, but our challenges revolve around cultism, traffic robbery and others, which we need to deal with. I need to think global but act locally to solve these peculiar problems.
Mr Sanwo-Olu also observed insecurity still thrives in the country because there is no consensus as to establishing state police.
He added: “Insecurity is thriving because we have not agreed, as a nation, that we should have state police. Amotekun and Neighbourhood Watch are reflections of state police, and if members of these groups are properly trained, they will become stronger, and challenges around kidnapping and others will be nipped.”
