GANI Adams, the 15th Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, has condemned the declaration of the South-West Security Network, otherwise known as Amotekun, as ‘illegal’ by the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami.

In an open letter to AGF, Adams noted that the position of the minister of justice on the security initiative, set up to offer protection for people in the South-West region, is against the law.

” Your position on this volatile situation is illegal, unlawful, immoral and of no effect, because your declaration has proved some critics right that some states in the country are deliberately left vulnerable to attacks by criminals,” the letter read.

The Amotekun initiative officially took-off on January 9 but was temporarily shut down by the federal government, stating that such a security body is not recognised by the constitution, thus, illegal.

Adams, in his letter, condemned the stance of the federal government, expressed through Malami, advising that the right action would have been to praise governors of the  South-Western region for thinking of how to defend their people.

“It is unfortunate that rather than praise the governors, you are condemning their action, thereby strengthening the hands of those who believe the Federal Government is against some sections of the country,” Adams said in the letter.

The Aare Ona Kakanfo said the AGF has no right to legislate against the protection of lives and pronounce the Amotekun illegal, reminding him that only a court of law can determine the illegality of the initiative.

“As a lawyer and a Senior Advocate, you should know that you are not the law. You are only the Attorney-General, not a court.

“It is only a court of competent jurisdiction that will decide if what an individual, group of individuals, an entity or a state does is legal or otherwise,” the letter read.

Adams called on the South-West governors to ignore the position of Malami on the Amotekun initiative and carry on with their plans of securing the safety of their people.

He also opposed the view that the initiative was a plan to cause mayhem in the country as Malami has suggested in his statement.

The ICIR earlier reported that leaders of thoughts such as Wole Soyinka, Femi Falana and  Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu have condemned the suspension of  Amotekun.

While Soyinka said the initiative should have been embraced by the government, Falana advised the governors to seek approval of the state assemblies before testing the legality of the initiative in the court, and Akredolu assured the people of South-West that the South-West governors plan to meet to deliberate on the matter.