Lagos State Government Denounces Calls for Igbo Displacement

The drive to force Igbos out of Lagos State and other Southwest states has been disassociated by the state government.

In a post from July 27, X user @Lagospedia stated that stakeholders in the Southwest states need to get ready to enforce the August 20–30 Igbo displacement from their states.

The Lagos state governor's Special Advisor on Media and Publicity, Gbenga Akosile, stated in a statement Friday night that the state government disassociates itself from the "reckless, divisive and dangerous rhetoric." Regardless of their ethnic nationality, all Nigerian citizens still call Lagos home, according to Akosile.

According to him, the post is seen by the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, as reckless, polarising, and an attempt to create conflict between the Yoruba in the Southwest and other tribes, particularly those who have established permanent residence in Lagos. He said that the security services have been asked to look into and apprehend the individuals responsible as soon as possible.

This comes after Atiku Abubakar, the PDP presidential contender in 2023 and a former vice president, urged the federal government to detain and prosecute anyone advocating for the mass transfer of Igbo people from Lagos and other Southwest states. According to Atiku, such language jeopardises our country's peace and security in addition to being divisive. He pointed out that there has been a "troubling silence" for five days following the contentious calls on social media.

See the administration of Lagos State's statement below:

"REJOINDER

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 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, 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 appeals to Lagosians not to allow any person or group of individuals to create tensions in the State, calling on the security agencies to promptly 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."