The Association of Igbo Town Unions (ASITU) has accused the Lagos State Government of engaging in what it calls “ethnic cleansing by economic means” through the demolition of buildings allegedly owned by Igbo traders and businesspeople in parts of the state.
Speaking at a world press conference in Umuahia on Friday, ASITU President, Chief Emeka Diwe, delivered a strongly worded statement condemning the demolitions as “an assault on national cohesion” rather than a genuine urban renewal exercise.
Diwe said that since February 2025, demolitions carried out at Ebute Ero Market and the Trade Fair Complex in Ojo have destroyed the life investments of many Igbo business owners. While acknowledging the right of the Lagos State Government to enforce planning regulations, he described the exercise as “selective, discriminatory, and wicked.”
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He alleged that many of the affected buildings had valid approvals issued by the same government that later demolished them.
Chief Diwe linked the demolitions to rising feelings of exclusion and alienation among the Igbo, noting that such experiences are fueling a renewed sense of Biafran identity among his people.
“When an Igbo man calls himself a Biafran today, it is not because he wakes up dreaming of secession. It is because he goes to sleep feeling rejected,” he said.
ASITU also disputed the Lagos Government’s claim that the demolished structures were built on drainage channels, citing a technical assessment by Senator Victor Umeh, which it said proved the justification to be “completely false.”
The group lamented that despite the Igbo people’s enormous contributions to Nigeria’s economy, they continue to face hostility and targeted policies.
“Our success is resented rather than celebrated. Our properties become targets,” Diwe said.
ASITU revealed that it has petitioned the United Nations Human Rights Council, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the ECOWAS Court of Justice over the alleged targeted demolitions. The association also announced the creation of a Property Rights Violation Desk to document affected victims and initiate legal action.
The group urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and federal authorities to urgently intervene, while demanding that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu immediately halt the demolitions and compensate property owners with valid government approvals.
It also called on Igbo lawmakers and political leaders to stop being “spectators” and to defend their people’s rights.
Diwe encouraged Igbo businesspeople to invest more in the Southeast through the “Aku Ruo Ulo” (Invest at Home) initiative, clarifying that the call was not for isolation but for “building from a position of strength.”
He emphasized that ASITU’s disagreement was not with the Yoruba ethnic group but with what he described as “an unjust government policy.”
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“We urge progressive Yoruba leaders to speak up. Our quarrel is not with the Yoruba people, but with a policy that destroys lives unjustly,” Diwe stated.
Chief Diwe concluded his address on a somber note, acknowledging the personal risk of his outspoken stance.
“It is possible that my family may not see me again after this press conference just for saying the truth. But no regret, no apologies. To God be the glory,” he said.
Thank you for covering this so thoroughly. It helped me a lot.