Amotekun will be made to conform to the new community policing structure —Presidency

The presidency said on Tuesday the South West security outfit, Amotekun, would operate in line with the structure put in place by the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu.

Amotekun was launched by the six South West governors in January to tackle banditry, armed robbery, kidnapping and other criminalities in the region.

But the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, who appeared on a Channels Television programme, Sunrise Daily, said the regional security outfit would be streamlined and operated in line with the IGP’s dictates.

He also said the community policing structure would be the same across the 36 states of the federation.

READ ALSO: Ondo gov, Akeredolu, inaugurates Amotekun security outfit

The Federal Government had last week approved the release of N13billion for the operation of community policing across the country.

Shehu said: “Whatever name they go by, Amotekun or whatever, will be streamlined and they will be run in accordance with the structure as defined by the Inspector-General of Police. They will be localised, they will be owned by local communities, they will be managed by them.

“You know the constitution of the committees will be defined as including council chairmen, traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society groups, and all of that. So, you are going to have a single type structure of community policing permitted all across the country and whatever is not in line with this does not have a place in the scheme of things. That is my understanding.”

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