Following the face-off between Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and a Police Officer at Magodo yesterday, the South-west governors Forum have called on the governor to deploy Amotekun “to protect the lives and property of the people”.
This is coming on the heels of a face-off between Sanwo-Olu and a police officer over the occupation of Magodo Residential Scheme II by police officers from Abuja who say they want to enforce a supreme court judgment over the land.
In a statement signed by its chairman, Rotimi Akeredolu, governor of Ondo state, the forum said it’s in a possession of a video which has gone viral on the social media concerning the disgraceful exchange between a police officer, a CSP, and the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwoolu, the supposed Chief Security Officer of the State, at the Magodo Residential Estate,”
According to the forum, the content of the video is very disconcerting, and this is being charitable. The utter disrespect, which underlines the response of the officer to the Governor establishes, beyond doubt, the impracticability of the current system, dubiously christened “Federalism”. An arrangement, which compels the Governor of a State to seek clarifications on security issues in his jurisdiction from totally extraneous bodies or persons, is a sure recipe for anarchy.
The forum says they condemn, very strongly, this brazen assault on decency. They call on the IG to explain the justification for this intrusion. This is not acceptable. Any expectations of rapprochement between so called federating units and federal security agencies are becoming forlorn, progressively, due to deliberate acts which mock their very avowal to ethics and professionalism. We condemn, in very clear terms, the role of the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami SAN in this act of gross moral turpitude.” The statement said.
They said, they will on our part, continue to interrogate the current system, which treats elected representatives of the people as mere prefects, while appointed office holders ride rough shod over them as Lords of the Manor. If the purported Chief Security Officers of the States of the Federation require clearance from the office of the IG on matters within their areas of jurisdictions, only hypocrites will wonder why the current security crisis deepens and there appears to be no solution in the foreseeable future.
The governor of South-West extraction, says they stand by their brother, the Governor of Lagos State. They advise him to deploy the Regional security outfit in the State to protect the lives and property of the people.
“We call on the President and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces to rein in the excesses of certain elements bent on acting in a manner capable of eroding the bond of trust existing between the people and the Federal Government. It is preposterous for political appointees to seek to undermine the very structure of service upon which their appointments rest.” The forum added.
