Controversial X handle calls for Igbo expulsion with #IgboMustGo

An X (formerly Twitter) handle, @Lagospedia, which claims to promote the virtues of Lagos, has sparked controversy by publishing inflammatory comments against the Igbo ethnic group. The page recently called for the expulsion of Igbos from Lagos and other southwestern states using the hashtag #IgboMustGo.

The call to remove Igbos violates Section 41, subsection 1 of the Nigerian Constitution, which guarantees every Nigerian the right to reside and move freely throughout the country. This move is seen as particularly alarming ahead of the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protest set to start on August 1, 2024.

On July 27, @Lagospedia urged Yoruba people in the southwestern region to prepare for a massive protest against Igbos, scheduled for August 20-30. The tweet read: “Lagosians and every Southwest stakeholder should prepare for the massive protest of #IgboMustGo on the 20th – 30th of August. They have one month from now to leave and relocate their business from all southwest states. We urge all Yorubas living in the southeast to return home.”

Lagospedia’s tweet at 5:27 pm on July 27, 2024

This rhetoric echoes historical calls for ethnic exclusion and expulsion. In May 1967, Odumegwu Ojukwu, then governor of Nigeria’s Eastern Region, called for Igbos to return home, leading to widespread violence and the Nigerian Civil War. Similarly, in 1983, the Shehu Shagari administration expelled undocumented migrants, including over one million Ghanaians, an episode that became known as the “Ghana-Must-Go” crisis.

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On July 29, @Lagospedia continued its provocative stance, sharing disturbing images and inflammatory messages about Igbos. One tweet read: “This is another warning to Ibos that Yoruba won’t condone their shenanigans anymore in Yorubaland. I still stand by my conviction, any mistake from them will spell their doom. We’ve had enough and we want them gone. #IgboMustGo #IboMustGo.”

July 29, 2024 post

The page also baselessly accused the Igbo of being responsible for violence during the October 2020 #EndSARS protests and claims that the Igbo are leading the #EndBadGovernance protest.

The Nigerian government, as well as social media platforms, are urged to address these divisive and potentially harmful statements to prevent further escalation of ethnic tensions.