The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has demanded that the governors of the South West change the name of the Amotekun security outfit to ‘Oduduwa Guards’.
The governors have been signing the bill into law after the passage by the region’s Houses of Assembly.
The Islamic human rights organization in a statement on Friday by the Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, said it was not comfortable with the nomenclature.
MURIC argued that the name was rooted in a Holy Bible verse.
“Amotekun is an animal but those who will protect citizens in the region are complete human beings. So why not give the outfit a human face by giving it the name of a human being, especially the name of the ancestor of all Yoruba people?
“We, therefore, call for a change of nomenclature. Amotekun as the name of the security outfit does not really reflect Yoruba heritage. A name like ‘Oduduwa Guards’ sounds perfect for the project. Oduduwa is the indisputable progenitor of the Yorubas and this is acknowledged by all historians.
“The Yorubas are not sons and daughters of an ‘amotekun’ (a leopard) which is an animal. Unless the alleged hidden agenda against Muslims is real, the organisers should adopt ‘Oduduwa Guards’ as the alternate name for Amotekun.”
MURIC said when an Amotekun operative in uniform approaches a citizen, would the person be referred as an animal or human.
The group warned the Yoruba not to commit an eternal error of giving other groups the chance to ridicule them.
