By Ademola Adekusibe
October 27, 2025.
The coalition of Igbo Town Unions has lodged formal petitions before the United Nations Human Rights Council, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the ECOWAS Court of Justice over the continued demolition of shops, markets, and properties belonging to Igbo traders and investors in Lagos State.
The petition, according to the group, seeks international intervention to halt what it described as “targeted economic oppression” against Igbo business owners in the state.
The unions alleged that several demolition exercises carried out in major markets and business districts have disproportionately affected Igbo traders, leading to massive financial losses and displacement of legitimate business owners.
They urged the global and regional human rights bodies to investigate the situation and compel the Nigerian government and Lagos authorities to protect citizens’ property rights, irrespective of ethnicity.
The development has further heightened tension over allegations of selective enforcement and ethnic bias in recent demolition exercises across Lagos.
