The Field Commander of Osun Amotekun Corps Comrade Amitolu Shittu has made it known that it has come to the point where security issue should be made the concern of all, he made this assertion last week when presenting a paper during PCRC capacity Building workshop at June 12 Cultural Centre Kuto, Abeokuta, Ogun State.
According to him, The Jagunmolu of Owu-Ile Kingdom and Otunba Bobakeye of Ororuwo Land.
Combatant Comrade Amitolu Shittu Chairman PCRC Osun Police Command and Field Commander of Amotekun Corps Osun Command.
During PCRC Capacity Building workshop at June 12 Cultural Centre Kuto, Abeokuta
Text of paper presentation of Comrade Amitolu Shittu, Chairman, PCRC, Osun Police Command and Field Commander Osun Amotekun Corps, at the PCRC Programme in Ogun State, on Thursday 26 February, 2021.
The assignment given me here is to do justice to the THEME: EFFECTIVENESS OF COMMUNITY POLICING IN RELATION WITH PCRC At The Capacity Buildig Traning Workshop for Zone 2 Lagos and Ogun States. Held at June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta, Ogun State. I believe to achieve this, there is the need to firstly give us the historical background of the subject matter
History of Terrorism
Terrorism can be traced to a philosopher, Michael Bakunin, who was born in Russia, in the year 1814. Bakunin was given the title of *Apposite of Pan Destruction*, because of his rigid opinion that *no constituted authority must be allowed to subsist. Rather, it must be destroyed!*
It is on record ndeed, that rebellion, anarchism and or terrorism have been on since the beginning of time. It is through it or lack of it that we better measure the amount of peace a society, any community for that matter, enjoys.
Over time, the mode of operation have changed, as the world advances over the ages.
The history of crimes and Categorization
Crimes, especially assassinations, in their development. can be categorized into four(4) ages:
1. The age of poison.
2. The age of the sword.
3. The age of the bulletand
4. *The age of explosives*
For the purpose of this presentation, I would like to dwell much on the last and latest category, which is the age of explosives
With powerful Improvised Explosive Devises(I E D) it does not require the need for accuracy as was the case for fire arms. It can even be controlled remotely.
These help criminals to reduce the possibility of apprehension and even detection, prior to commission of their attacks, e.g the assassination of the late India Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, saw the emergence of of the human bomb, multiplying the gravity of the threat many times, and giving the assassin an aura of martyrdom. With this, the criminal does not need to get away or avoid apprehension from the authorities.
One may be tempted to ask whether venues of public meetings have greater risk of exposure to attack than within the secure walls of a residence or office? The answer is double edged, that is both yes and no.
For instance, when you take into the consideration the fact that Gandhi's mother, Mrs Gandhi, was assassinated within the walls of her own residence with the way a season Nigerian journalist and former Co-editor-in-chief of the Newswatch Magazine, Mr Dele Giwa, was assassinated through a parcel bomb, one would conclude that no place is absolutely save.
Therefore the odds against security operatives in this age of explosives with suicide bombers can be smartly summed up with the warning left behind for posterity by the Irish terrorist, after a failed attempt at the former British Prime Minister, Mrs Margaret Thatcher:
We have to be lucky only once, You have to be lucky every time.
Essentially, as a longtime ally of the Nigerian police, the role of the PCRC is to partner with security operatives, to enhance proactivness.
Since members of PCRC live and are drawn from the society, this makes them strategically situated to be of immense help to the law enforcement agencies, most especially the POLICE.
We equally must not forget that these bandits live amongst us in the society. There is a popular Yoruba dictum which says ole ko ni ja agba ko ma see loju firi, meaning for any crime committed, a suspect lurks in the corner!
Thus, it is my belief that, if members of PCRC are given the enabling environment and their confidence is assured, then provision of adequate and timely information will be a forgone conclusion! This is so because these hoodlums are either our brothers, sisters, friends, fathers, mothers, husbands or wives.
Also worthy of note is the fact that Members of PCRC can be found everywhere and their presence can foist on the general populace, the requisite culture of security awareness.
I'm very proud and with spirit of appreciation, to say that it is my exposure, through the PCRC and EFCC, to the work of community security operatives and Community Policing, that paved the way for my appointment as Director General of AMOTEKUN Corps, by his Excellency the Governor of Osun State, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola.
Indeed, it has come to the point where security issue should be made the concern of all - aabo ara eni, laabo ilu, hence issue of security can no longer be regarded as only meant for the Law enforcement agencies and we should do away with the usual unconcerned feelings.
This again is in the realization of the fact that security work before the Police, as the chief security outfit and other security agencies are enormous, but they are few in number. It therefore behoves all to rise to the occasion by giving all the needed assistance in the provision of security.
It is on the basis of the above that the PCRC Osun State is ever ready to partner with security outfits and all stake holders, with the aim of effective policing and security; as expected of of us, in compliance with section 24 of 1999 Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria, (CFRN),(as amended) which provides for duties of a good citizen.
Going down the memory lane. In the days of yore, Yoruba has a way of sensitizing members of the society to always be vigilant; they have a proverb which goes thus, - Lilo lo n lo laye ojosi, ewon ni won n de sile dee; bibo lo n bo lode isinyi, oju lo ku ti won n mu to -
meaning in the days of old, societal problems were far fetched, nowadays societal problems abound and the only solution is vigilance!
It is a result of our unrelenting effort on security work that President Muhammadu Buhari approved the recommendation made by the student of Nigeria Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies, NIPSS, during Course 40 study tour of Osun in 2018 on the need for the establishedment of Community Policing in Nigeria, in support of our agitation.
We equally use the PCRC State of Osun Command to agitate for expansion of Police formation in Nigeria, through the one time Inspector General of Police, Mr Solomon Arase. That was later implemented during the reign of the former IGP, Mr Ibrahim Idris.
This resulted in the establishedment and espansion of more Police Area Commands and Divisional Police Headquarters in Nigeria, to promote efficiency within the Police system.
At the end of it all, Osun Police Command which hitherto had just only 3 Area Commands and 27 Divisions, to the glory of God can today boast of 8 Area Commands and 47 Divisions, since 2019. This development has reduced the work load and promote efficiency and developement within the Police systems.
At this juncture, I would like to advocate continued and more robust relationship between the PCRC across the country and the Nigerian police, so as to achieve the target of having a crime-free society, as criminals do not respect ethnic, colour, political or religious affiliations.
Thanks for listening
God bless the federal Republic of Nigeria.
Chief Amitolu Shittu
PCRC Chairman, Osun Command and the Field Commander, Amotekun Corps, State of Osun.
Post a Comment