Our Reporter, Abuja
A former United Nations Special Rapporteur and human rights advocate, Professor Joy Ezeilo, has accused the Lagos State Government of orchestrating deliberate economic victimization of Igbo traders, warning that the trend amounts to an attempt at “economic cleansing.”
Ezeilo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), in a strongly worded statement on her verified social media handle on Thursday, said the actions of the state government—particularly at the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex—exposed a deliberate pattern of marginalization.
She expressed dismay after watching the Lagos Commissioner for Physical Planning, during a live appearance on Channels Television’s Morning Brief, attempt to defend what she described as the “indefensible: the blatant victimization of Igbo traders.”
“In a time of economic hardship, this injustice is impossible to ignore,” she wrote.
“The Commissioner’s feeble defense only further exposes the deliberate campaign to marginalize and erase the businesses and properties of the Igbo people, even down to the renaming of streets.”
The law professor and rights activist lamented that the ongoing demolition and redevelopment threats at the Trade Fair Complex were being carried out without due consultation with the Federal Government agency that owns and leases the facility.
“If there is genuine intent to serve justice—whether through notices of demolition or consultation on development plans—why not first engage the Federal Government Agency, the rightful owner and lessor of the property?” she queried.
Ezeilo further warned that if the Federal Government eventually transfers ownership of the complex to Lagos State, it could embolden those she accused of seeking to wipe out legitimate Igbo businesses in the state.
“This will complete a cycle of impunity and economic cleansing against people striving to make an honest living in their own homeland,” she cautioned.
The rights advocate described the situation as a “stain on the nation’s conscience,” insisting that justice and equity must prevail.
