Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has urged the public to disregard a viral social media threat demanding that Igbo citizens leave Lagos State within the next month.
The threat, which appeared on X (formerly Twitter), called for all South-Easterners to vacate Lagos or face massive protests planned from August 20th to 30th, 2024.
Similarly, the South East Caucus of the National Assembly condemned the alleged ethnic profiling of Igbos amid ongoing protests across the country and called on security agencies to identify and prosecute those responsible for the hate messages.
The faceless group behind the threat also instructed all South-West citizens in the South-East to return home. In response, Sanwo-Olu stated that the Lagos State Government does not support the proposed protest.
Sanwo-Olu emphasized, “The attention of Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has been drawn to a post by LagosPedia, a social media handle on X (formerly Twitter) that calls on the Igbo to vacate Lagos and the Southwest of Nigeria and brace up for a massive hashtag #Igbomustgo protest from 20th to 30th August, 2024. The Governor of Lagos State and, indeed, the Lagos State Government wish to distance themselves from the reckless, divisive and dangerous rhetoric, saying Lagos remains home to every Nigerian citizen regardless of their ethnic nationality. Governor Sanwo-Olu views the post as not only reckless and divisive but an attempt to sow a seed of discord between the Yoruba in the Southwest and other tribes, especially those who have made Lagos their permanent place of abode.”
The governor appealed to Lagosians to prevent any individual or group from creating tension in the state and called on security agencies to investigate those behind the handle and bring them to justice. “Mr. Governor enjoins Lagosians to ignore the post and any post of that nature, promising to double his efforts towards ensuring lasting peace in the state,” the statement added.
The governor’s stance followed a call by former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 general election, Abubakar Atiku, for the Federal Government to investigate, arrest, and prosecute promoters of the threat.
The South East Caucus of the National Assembly also condemned the ethnic profiling of Igbos during the ongoing protests. The Caucus demanded that security agencies identify and prosecute those behind the hate messages according to the Cybercrimes Act and other relevant laws.
In a statement signed by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, Leader of the South East Senate Caucus, and Rt. Hon. Igariwey Iduma Enwo, Leader of the South East Caucus of the House of Representatives, the Caucus said, “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. For the records, the Igbo nation, in obedience to the advice of their leaders – Governors, Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide, parliamentarians and others in the private sector – 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. We are, therefore, surprised and disappointed that Igbos are still made scapegoats and targeted as instigators of protests, as shown in several statements (such as the Igbo Must Go hashtag and call by a certain ‘Lagospedia’ X (Twitter) handle and videos seen online. This dangerous ethnic profiling is unwarranted and must stop. It was such profiling that led to the millions of deaths in Nigeria from the 1950’s to the unfortunate civil war in 1967 to 1970.”