ÀMÒTÉKÙN: Governor Oyetola Reacts To Supreme Council for Sharia’s Position On Southwest Security Network (FULL STATEMENT)

Governor Adegboyega Oyetola has faulted the claim that the establishment of Western Nigeria Security Network codenamed Amotekun was meant to  ‘Christianise’ the Southwest part of the country.

An Islamic group, the Supreme Council for Sharia of Nigeria, had made the allegation in recent chat with journalists in Osogbo.

But responding to the allegation, Oyetola who is also a Muslim, said most of the critics of the security initiative, including the Islamic group. many not even understand the concept of the security initiative.

Oyetola, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Ismail Omipidan, said: “If you sit down with those peddling the misinformation they probably do not understand the basis of the argument they are making.

“Apart from the social media misinformation about Amotekun being taken from the Bible or whatever, there was no time the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) was part of the meeting when most of these decisions were taken. And if CAN has never been part of the decision, how will you ascribe it to a particular religion? I think it is important to make that clear that there is no recruitment based on church birth certificate.”

“I may not be able to speak for people, but I’m speaking for Osun State because they have been addressing the press on the last three weeks, they have been doing so in Osun and I ask, why Osun? Is there any special interest in Osun?”

“Because if you notice, the two releases that have come out so far are from this place and I’m not sure Osun is the headquarters of the Supreme Council for the Southwest. I am not sure of it. Why Osun?”

Sheikh Abdur’rasheed Hadiyatullah, president of Supreme Council of Sharia in Nigeria had told reporters in Osogbo that “Amotekun is a subtle method of further Christianization of the Southwest by its promoters in their usual manner of having political and power dominance over the Muslims in the region.”

“It is another elusive way of establishing a ‘Christian-dominated State Police Force whose affairs would be designed and determined from the Church at the expense of the Muslims majority in the region.”

“Amotekun is a coinage from Jeremiah Chapter 5: Verse 6 of the Holy Bible, reads, “Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slain them, and a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their cities: every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, and their backslidings are increased.

“It was once advertised that any applicant for the purpose of recruitment into the Outfit should produce a birth certificate from a church as a precondition for qualification.”