The South East Caucus of the National Assembly has raised alarm over the ongoing ethnic profiling of Igbos in Nigeria amidst recent nationwide protests.
In a joint statement, Senate Leader Eyinaya Abaribe and House of Representatives Leader Igariwey Enwo highlighted that despite following the guidance of their leaders to avoid the protests, Igbos have been unfairly targeted.
The protests, which began Thursday under the banner of #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria, aim to address growing nationwide hardships. Unfortunately, the demonstrations turned violent in some northern states, such as Kano, Jigawa, and Niger, resulting in at least five deaths and significant property damage.
The South East Caucus emphasized that Igbos, heeding advice from governors, Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide, parliamentarians, and private sector leaders, chose not to participate in the protests. This collective decision has maintained relative peace in the South Eastern states.
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Despite this, the caucus expressed deep disappointment over the scapegoating of Igbos, as seen in the trending “Igbo Must Go” hashtag and inflammatory posts by social media accounts like ‘Lagospedia’ on X (formerly Twitter). These actions were condemned as dangerous and unwarranted ethnic profiling.
“The attention of the South East Caucus of the National Assembly has been drawn to the unfortunate and dangerous ethnic profiling of Igbos in the ongoing mass protests across the country,” the statement read. “For the records, the Igbo nation, in obedience to the advice of their leaders… had taken a reasoned and strategic decision not to participate in the ongoing nationwide protests. This is evident in the relative calm experienced in the five South Eastern states.”
The caucus stressed that such ethnic profiling must cease immediately, recalling the historical tragedies it has caused, including millions of deaths in Nigeria from the 1950s through the Civil War (1967-1970), as well as the genocide in Rwanda and xenophobia in South Africa.
“We demand that security agencies bring to book the purveyors of these hate speeches in line with the Cybercrimes Act and criminal laws of the country. We continue to appeal to Igbos across the country to stay away from the protests and remain law-abiding,” the statement concluded.
