The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Ekiti state chapter has suggested compulsory psychiatric test for the personnel of Ekiti State Security Network, code named Amotekun as part of requirement for their recruitment.
This, the NBA suggested, will inject sanity into the conduct and operations of the operatives.
The NBA said the step became sacrosanct in view of alleged incessant misconduct of conventional security agencies, leading to brutality and unwarranted incarceration and killing of Nigerians.
The bill establishing the outfit, now awaiting Governor Kayode Fayemi’s assent, was on Friday, passed into law by the Ekiti state House of Assembly.
Speaking in Ado Ekiti on Sunday, NBA chairman, Ado Ekiti branch, Barrister Ayokanmi Falade , said he had made the suggestion for the inclusion of mandatory psychiatric examination at the Assembly’s public hearing held on Thursday, as part of requirements for recruitment into Amotekun.
He said Section 19 of the Ekiti State Security Network Agency bill sent to the House spoke about qualification, but that the issue of mental stability was not put into account, which he said spurred him to raise observation about it.
“Under the interpretation of sections, arms should not mean firearms alone, it should also include axes, cutlasses; even stick. That I think would have been taken into account before passage.
“Also, I proposed that, in addition to criteria for employment of officials, a mandatory psychiatric test should be added in the law as stated in Section 19 which dealt with recruitment.
“The passed bill before transmission to the executive with amendments should include this. The mental stability of whoever carries arms matters to Nigerians.
“We have seen cases of how Nigerians were being abused by security operatives. We have seen how those that were supposed to guarantee safety ended up killing innocent people over flimsy excuses.
“I appeal to the House to effect this while doing the amendment before transmitting to the executive.
“I observed that the composition of a board that will superintend over the Agency was contained in the passed bill. I believe the board will be given the powers to set their own rules and criteria for recruitment when they begin operation .
“The board must adopt this as part of the rules for recruitment even if it ends not being part of the amendments.
“This should taken seriously in the recruitment exercise , so that the operatives won’t turn out to be lawbreakers,” the NBA chairman said.
