Giving Amotekun firearms will not solve banditry – El-Rufai
Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna state, says his Ondo State counterpart, Rotimi Akeredolu, insistence on arming Amotekun with sophisticated weapons is a simplistic way to tackle banditry and other security challenges.
The governor said security outfits such as the Western Nigeria Security Network, codenamed Amotekun, “are not up to scratch” to face bandits.
On September 22, Rotimi Akeredolu, governor of Ondo, notified the federal government of his intention to procure arms for operatives of Amotekun.
Commenting on Thursday, while speaking on Sunrise Daily, a Channels Television programme, el-Rufai said local security outfits and vigilantes do not possess the necessary firearms to fight bandits.
He described the Ondo’s governor’s plan as a simplistic approach to combating bandits.
He said the vigilantes are no match for the “sophisticated” non-state actors.
“Local security networks can only provide local intelligence. They do not have the firearms to face these guys [bandits],” he said.
“These guys sometimes even rout the military. So, people are speaking simplistically when they say ‘I want to get an AK-47 for my Amotekun. You don’t know what you’re dealing with.
“We know. These guys are very well-armed. They are getting arms that are sophisticated. Sometimes they outgun the military.
“Those vigilantes are not up to scratch.”
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