The Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC), the leading youth body for the Igbo people, has issued a press statement demanding an apology from Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), or face a ₦500 billion lawsuit. The council’s action comes in response to Dabiri-Erewa’s alleged endorsement of a social media post that used derogatory language to describe the Igbo people.

 

Details of the Allegation

According to the OYC, Dabiri-Erewa reposted a social media comment from a user, Wale S Akerere, who referred to Igbos as “monkeys, children of gorilla, and bastards.” The OYC’s statement, signed by its National President, Comrade Igboayaka O. Igboayaka, condemns the post as “hate-laden” and a “genocidal description of Ndigbo.”

 

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The press release describes the endorsement as an “assault on our dignity, humanity, and collective existence.” The OYC argues that a public official promoting such ethnic hate speech is “reckless and unbecoming,” and sets a dangerous precedent for ethnic cleansing narratives in Nigeria.

The OYC’s statement emphasizes the history and contributions of the Igbo people, asserting they are “a proud, ancient people, innovators, entrepreneurs, builders of nations, and custodians of African civilization.”

 

OYC’s DemandsThe Ohanaeze Youth

Council has issued a Notice of Intention to Sue, giving Dabiri-Erewa a 72-hour ultimatum to comply with their demands.

The council’s terms are:
* A full, unreserved, and public apology to the Igbo nation, to be published in national newspapers and on her official X (formerly Twitter) account.

• A formal retraction of the offensive statement and repost.

• A written commitment to refrain from engaging in or promoting hate speech against the Igbo people in the future.

 

The OYC warns that failure to meet these demands will result in a ₦500 billion lawsuit for defamation, ethnic bigotry, hate speech, and psychological injury.

 

Legal and Social Implications

The council claims it has secured the support of 37 eminent Igbo Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) who have committed to working on the case pro-bono. The OYC believes the lawsuit will not only seek financial reparations but will also be a “historic test case against the systemic culture of impunity and bigotry towards the Igbo people.”

 

The statement concludes with a strong warning, declaring that “silence is no longer an option” and that the Igbo people “will never again allow themselves to be mocked, vilified, or dehumanized without consequence.”

 

The controversy has sparked a significant public conversation about the use of social media by public officials and the legal consequences of hate speech in Nigeria.