Nigeria: Igbo Must Go Protest / We Need Decisive Action Not Rhetoric - Ibn Tells Tinubu, Gov Sanwo-Olu

4 August 2024
Vanguard (Lagos)
By Chinonso Alozie

- The Igbo- Biafra Nationalists, IBN, on Sunday called on President Ahmed Bola Tinubu to take decisive action against the promoters of "Igbo must go protest" in Lagos.

The convener of IBN, Mazi Uche Mefor, made this call to newsmen in Owerri while reacting to the alleged "Igbo must go protest" in Lagos.

He said so far that there was no action in the statements of President Tinubu and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos state, about the so-called protest.

He said: "The Igbo-Biafra Nationalists and the Indigenous People of Igbo Nation for Self-Determination hereby express deep concern over the inadequate response to the ethnic profiling and discrimination against the Igbo community in Nigeria, particularly in Lagos State. Mere public statements and cursory references to the issue by Governor Sanwo-Olu and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu are insufficient. We demand comprehensive and decisive punitive measures against the perpetrators of these heinous acts of ethnic bigotry.

"We call for the robust and comprehensive prosecution of those responsible for the hate publications and ethnic profiling of the Igbo people in Lagos. The anti-Igbo policies propagated by Governor Sanwo-Olu have provided fertile ground, inspiration, and impetus for hate speeches and publications by racists, including those behind "Lagospedia" and individuals like MC Olumo, who operate without consequence. Governor Sanwo-Olu cannot feign ignorance of these activities.

"This situation is reminiscent of the 1966 pogrom against the Igbo in Nigeria. Allowing such atrocities, ethnic cleansing, and genocidal violence against the Igbo to recur in the 21st century would be catastrophic. It is imperative to take proactive measures to prevent a repeat of these historical injustices."

"We urge South-East political representatives, including governors, state house assembly members, federal house representatives, the South-East Senators Forum, and other stakeholders such as Ohaneze Ndigbo, to take decisive action. It is crucial to begin negotiations concerning the future of the Igbo people within Nigeria or contemplate a future outside of Nigeria.

"We reiterate the necessity for South-East elected representatives to raise these issues on the floor of the National Assembly. Simultaneously, there should be coordinated legal action against the Nigerian state, initiated through the offices of the state attorneys general of each of the South-East states,"he said.

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