South-East Caucus Condemns Ethnic Profiling of Igbos in #EndBadGovernance Protests
The South-East caucus of the National Assembly has expressed dismay over the dangerous ethnic profiling of Igbos in the ongoing #EndBadGovernance protests across the country. The caucus has appealed to Ndigbo across Nigeria to stay away from the protests and remain law-abiding.
This stance was detailed in a statement issued on Friday by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, leader of the Senate caucus, and Rt. Hon. Iduma Igariwey, leader of the House of Representatives caucus.
The statement reads in part, “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 record, the Igbo nation, in obedience to the advice of their leaders—Governors, Ohanaeze 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 1950s to the unfortunate civil war from 1967 to 1970. Elsewhere in Africa, it led to genocide in Rwanda and xenophobia in South Africa. Such should not be our fate again in Nigeria.
“We demand that the security agencies bring to book the purveyors of these hate speeches in line with the Cybercrimes Act. We continue to appeal to Igbos across the country to stay away from the protests and remain law-abiding.”
The caucus reiterated its call for unity and peace, urging all Nigerians to reject divisive narratives and work together for the common good of the nation.
