No, there is no law requiring Igbos to obtain identity cards to reside in Nigeria's Lagos state
IN SHORT: This viral message claims the Lagos state government has a new law requiring Nigerian citizens of Igbo ethnicity to obtain identity cards to reside in the state. The claim is false.
Nigeria's Lagos state has a new law requiring any person of the Igbo ethnic group to obtain an identity card to reside in the state. That's according to a message posted as "breaking news" in a public Facebook group with over 25,300 members.
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The post reads: "Breaking News: The Lagos State Government has just signed a bill requiring all Igbo indigenes to obtain an ID card, which must be renewed monthly before they can enter Lagos. The ID, which functions like a passport, must be obtained by all Igbos. Once it expires, any individual who fails to renew it will be deported to his or her state of origin."
The same claim appears here, here and here. (Note: See more instances at the end of this report.)
Lagos, a former federal capital territory, is Nigeria's commercial capital. Nigerians from all parts of the country and migrants reside, work and trade in the state, which has by far the largest economy of all states in the country.
Igbos are from Nigeria's south-east geopolitical zone. They make up a significant portion of the population in Lagos.
Mistrust between the indigenous Yorubas and the Igbos has led to calls for the Igbos to leave Lagos.
In August 2024, the Lagos state government dissociated itself from such calls and condemned threats against the Igbos.
But has the Lagos state government signed any law requiring Igbos to obtain a renewable identity card to reside in the state? We checked.
No evidence of the new law
Considering Nigeria's ethnic diversity, conversations related to ethnicity are usually knotty.
Lagos requiring Igbos to obtain an identity card would be a major political development, widely reported by credible media platforms and debated on social media.
The absence of a media report about the new law is a red flag, indicating that it is false.
Unconstitutional law
Any such law targeting an ethnic group would directly contradict the Nigerian constitution and would most likely be publicly opposed and challenged in court.
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Section 15 of the Nigerian constitution prohibits "discrimination on the grounds of place of origin, sex, religion, status, ethnic or linguistic association or ties".
Section 41, subsection (1) states: "Every citizen of Nigeria is entitled to move freely throughout Nigeria and to reside in any part thereof, and no citizen of Nigeria shall be expelled from Nigeria or refused entry thereby or exit therefrom."
The exceptions are the restriction of persons reasonably suspected of having committed criminal offences and for extradition.
There is no evidence that the Lagos state government signed any law requiring Igbos or any other ethnic group to obtain a renewable identity card to reside in the state. The claim is false.
The same claim was found here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
