A renowned legal practioner and han right defender Femi Falana SAN has said it risky to leave men of the western nigeria security network (Amotekun) without arms.
The lawyer argued further that whatever qualifies an induvidual to obtain licence for gun also qualifies a security outfot like amotekun to also bear arms.
Falana, in an interview with the PUNCH online newspaper, urged Governors of the region to apply for license for Amotekun to bear arms.
According to him, since private individuals have right to apply for license to defend themselves and their families, it will be illegal not to give license to Amotekun.
He added that if Federal government refuses to give license, she should challenged in court for endearing lives in Lagos
“You set up a security outfit like the Amotekun Corps without arms and ammunition. You are either risking the lives of the men and women in that organisation or you are giving people a false sense of security.
“I have advised our governors to apply for licences for those young men and women to bear arms. My argument is this: if an individual can apply for licence to bear arms to defend himself and his family members, it is illegal not to give licences to about 5,000 or 10,000 young men and women to protect a state like Lagos of about 20 million. And if they refuse to give the licences, we must go to court and accuse the authorities in Abuja of endangering the lives of people in Lagos. We must get to that level.
“We can’t have members of the neighbourhood watch to guide people without arms and ammunition, members of the Amotekun Corps without arms and ammunition, yet the people you are asking them to confront are armed with AK-47 and rounds of ammunition. For me, that is not security.” Falana said
Furthermore, Falana said by section 220 of the constitution, a state governor is empowered to ask for military training in the state
He said, “There is even a section of the constitution, Section 220, that empowers a governor to ask for military training in the state because every Nigerian is entitled to military training but pending the time the National Assembly would enact a law to achieve that objective, a state government can ask the authorities in Abuja. We have facilities for military training. Can you allow our citizens to acquire military training? It is in the constitution.”
Falana also accused FG of defending herdsmen to the exclusion of other Nigerians.
He said security and welfare of people is the primary purpose of government and the citizens have the duty to mobilize themselves to compel FG to security and lives of people
The Senior Advocate said, “We have elected people into offices; it is the duty of the government to defend us. And I expect Nigerians to mobilise and compel the government to guarantee the security of lives of everybody. So, it is not about citizens attacking one another; it is about not allowing the government to dodge their responsibilities to the people.
“Section14, sub-section 2b provides that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government, it does not say, the security of the people shall be the responsibility of any citizen and the government must perform the duty and there are solutions to these problems that have not been addressed.”
The distinguished silk also Advises victims of kidnapping to seek for refund from FG and if the government does not refund the money, there should be a test case. He said Nigerians must challenge the government. The government has to pay instead of private people.
