Dressed in the Amotekun outfit, Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, on Tuesday signed the State Security Network Agency (Amotekun) Bill 2020 into law.
Governors in the South-West zone had on January 9 in Ibadan launched the Amotekun initiative.
The launch necessitated the process of giving legal backing to the initiative by the Houses of Assembly in the six states.
The Oyo State House of Assembly on February 24 held a public hearing on the bill and passed it on March 3.
In his remarks after signing the bill, Mr Makinde said the process for the establishment of Amotekun security outfit started in July 2019.
He said the initiative was purely to complement the existing security agencies in tackling security challenges and not a replacement for the existing ones.
The governor noted that security agencies had been stretched to the limit, stressing that there were challenges in the North-East where some of the personnel were deployed.
“But we still need to create a safe and secure environment at the state and local government levels so that our people can go about their lawful business.
“I’m also using this opportunity to thank our security agencies for the work they are doing,” he said.
Deputy Governor Rauf Olaniyan, Secretary to the State Government, Olubanwo Adeosun; Chief of Staff, Bisi Ilaka, and other top government functionaries witnessed the signing of the bill.
Speaker Debo Ogundoyin led other lawmakers to present the bill to the governor for his assent.
