Nigeria as a country has so many voluntary security organizations outside the normal conventional government security forces. In our communities and schools, we have the Man O' War, Boy scout, Community Vigillantees, and in the religious circle, we have the Boys Brigade, Girls Guide in the protestant churches and recently, the Hisbah in the Islamic religious circle. It is believed that the aim of establishing these organizations is for the maintenance and sustenance of law and order, peace and security within the confines of their area of operations and they must strictly operate within the confines of their area of operations.
While the Boys Brigade and Girls Guide operates within the confines of the protestant churches, the operations of the Hisbah in northern Nigeria that is also a religious organization and are supposed to operate within the confines of the Mosque, is not so. Infact, we have seen and heard of the Hisbah arresting lorry loads of beers in cities in northern Nigeria and destroying same. We have heard of Hisbah arresting and charging people to courts, and recently, our brothers in the north were so proud to tell us that the Hisbah Police in Northern Nigeria arrested an officer of the Nigeria Police Force for staying with three women in hotel. The humiliating pictures of the Hisbah Officers dragging the Nigeria Police officer into a waiting van was shown all over the social media and the Hisbah Officers were hailed to high places.
Let it be very clear to everybody that by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, no state in Northern Nigeria is an Islamic State, meaning, the powers to enforce laws is still within the confines of government security forces ably led by the Nigeria Police Force. With the pronouncement by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation that security of lives and property and enforcement of law and order is exclusive to federal government agencies alone, Hisbah in northern Nigeria with their activities should have been declared an illegal outfit and banned from operating in Nigeria since its operations includes amongst others, arrest, detention and prosecution of people who sometimes are not of the Islamic faith.
If the establisment of Hisbah is of necessity and it must exist, AMOTEKUN is then very very legal because it's establishment is also of necessity. The recent killings in parts of Southern Nigeria where Fulani herdsmen have turned to kidnappers and bandits, killing, kidnapping and raping of women has made it imperative that there should be a response to it by the natives since the conventional government forces have been so politicised that it can no more meet its constitutional duties of protecting life and properties everywhere in the country. AMOTEKUN is a response to pressure from the ordinary people that they are tired of being killed by alliens believed by Nigerian government to be from Libya, Mali and other territories outside Nigeria.
Amotekun cannot be illegal while Hisbah is legal if we must be fair to everyone. The Yorubas have the right to protect her citizens from the hands of invaders and it is only the law courts that can determine what is illegal in Nigeria.
Ekpenyong Isaiah-Isababa
Commander, Infantry Pen Battallion
isacool4good@yahoo.com
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