Ethnic Profiling: Why Igbo People Are Detained In Prisons Across Nigeria And Her Land Total Neglected

Ethnic Profiling: Why Igbo People Are Detained In Prisons Across Nigeria And Her Land Total Neglected The geographical area called Nigeria t...

Ethnic Profiling: Why Igbo People Are Detained In Prisons Across Nigeria And Her Land Total Neglected

The geographical area called Nigeria total is a British contraption made up of three major ethnic groups; Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba with many other minor ethnicities  such as Tiv, Bini, Ibibio, Uhorbo and more.

The ethnic hatred of Ndigbo(Igbo people) in Southeast, and which the current President Tinubu's administration is exploiting did not just start today. It started during the British rule of Nigeria. During that period, Ndigbo(Igbo people) were already travellers just like now, and were much residents of the Northern and Western regions of Nigeria where they went in search for greener pastures. This massive influx of Ndigbo(Igbo people) to the  Northern and Western regions of the country before, during and after the British amalgamation of the country in 1914 led the North and the West to  develop some kind of jealousy and hatred on the Ndigbo. So they began referring us to Ndigbo(Igbo people) as intruders. To proof this fact, it was contained in the speech Sir Tafawa Balewa gave in 1952. In his speech, he called the Ndigbo(Igbo people) "intruders" and maintained that Igbo people are not welcomed in One Nigeria.  

After Nigeria's independence, the first ever president produced by Nigeria was Nnamdi Azikiwe from October 1st, 1960 to January 16, 1966 and, it was by appointment . After him, the next and the last Igbo person that went closer to the sit was Sir Alex Ekwueme, as  vice president from 1979 to 1983. After them, no Igbo person have been there again.

The ethnic hatred which the Yoruba and the Hausa tribes have for the Ndigbo have been the reason no Igbo person after Alex Ekwueme has been to the presidency, either as president or as vice. Case study; Peter Obi in Nigeria's 2023 presidential election. Hausa and Yoruba tribes politicians teamed up and rigged Peter Obi out of the election he clearly won.

These same ethnic hatred by these tribes against Ndigbo have been the reason many Igbo youths are languishing in various detention facilities in Nigeria. Once you are an Igbo, the Nigerian government will beam their search-light on you. And at any slight misbehaviour, the Federal government, comprising of the Hausas and Yorubas will clamp and detain you without trial, a situation the is not even deserving for criminals. Even if they managed to take you to court, they will either bribe or threaten the corrupt Nigerian Chief judge handling your case to either deny you your merited justice or use postponements of the  case to  frustrate your life. This is why till today, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the founder and supreme leader of the Indigenous People Of Biafra(IPOB) and many other Biafran agitators are held incommunicado in various dungeons across Nigeria.

The crime Nigeria government mischievously said that Nnamdi Kanu who is an Igbo man committed was also committed by a Yoruba man, Sunday Igboho. Both of them are agitators and are leaders of their different agitation fronts. Even president Tinubu once agitated. Today, Nnamdi Kanu is detained since 2021 because he is an Igbo while Sunday Igboho is freely moving about  because he is a Yoruba man. 

As there are Biafra Republic agitators in Igboland, so also are Oduduwa and Arewa Republic agitators in Yoruba and Hausa lands, respectively. But if you can make out time and tour the prisons in Nigeria, you will find out that most inmates detained by the Nigerian Army and the police since 2016 are Biafra agitators, mostly members of IPOB. 

There are currently no Yoruba or Hausa persons in any Nigeria detention facilities who is or are detained because they are agitators, unlike their many Igbo men, women and youths counterpart, solitarily detained by the Nigerian authorities. Many of them for years in detention have not even been taken to the court. Many have died in their detention facilities and have been secretly disposed by the Nigerian authorities. In some cases, it has been revealed that they use hard chemicals on the dead bodies to eat up and destroy any trace of self indicting crimes against them, as they never wants people to know that their inmates are dying in custody, even without  appearing in court, which is a crime against them. 

According to the Nigerian constitution, no detainee should stay longer than 24hours in detention facility without being taken to court. If such happens, it is a crime against those who arrested and detained the person. Sadly, this part of the Nigerian constitution have been thoroughly trampled upon by the Nigerian government as there are many Igbo youths dying in custody without court trials.

Ethnic jealousy and hatred by the Hausa and the Yoruba tribes of Nigeria on Ndigbo(Igbo people) will never allow them to let the Ndigbo breathe. Can they just let us have our independence? We want to go our separate ways. We want to have our independent Biafra nation, we want to be alone so that we can breathe and live our lives to the fullest. One Nigeria is a journey to the dead.

By Family Writers Press International