When Tribalism Enters the Legal Profession: The Igbo-Phobic Reality in Nigeria

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By Wisdom Chude What I witnessed recently in Ibadan raises a serious concern about the expression of Igbo-phobia within Nigeria’s legal and professional spaces. I visited a friend’s shop and discovered that he was absent. I was informed that he had received a call that the roof of his residential apartment was being removed and that some of the tenants’ properties were allegedly being taken away by thugs engaged by the landlord and led by an Igbo man who claimed to be acting on the landlord’s behalf. I gathered some of the tenants and proceeded to Iyanganku Police Station. Police officers were subsequently sent to bring in the man allegedly engaged by the landlord. While we were at the station, one of the tenants received a telephone call from the lawyer managing the property. I took the phone and introduced myself as a fellow lawyer. I attempted to engage him professionally, as one lawyer speaking to another. His response, however, was striking. He said, in substance: “How can an Igbo person from the South-East be dictating to me as a Yoruba man what to do?” That statement immediately changed the character of the encounter. The matter was no longer simply a disagreement over property. The statement explicitly introduced Igbo and Yoruba identity into a dispute that should ordinarily be addressed through law and professional conduct. I subsequently identified the lawyer as Adeyinka Adeyemi Ibrahim, who, according to the account, was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2008. Igbo-phobia in a Legal Setting The incident raises questions about the place of tribal prejudice within Nigeria’s legal profession. A lawyer should be able to distinguish between a legal dispute and ethnic identity. Whether a person is Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, Ijaw, Edo, Tiv or from any other ethnic group should have no bearing on how a legal matter is handled. Yet this incident reflects a wider Nigerian reality: Igbo-phobia exists. For many Igbo Nigerians living outside the South-East, citizenship can sometimes be treated as though it has geographical limitations. An Igbo person living in Ibadan, Lagos, Abuja or elsewhere in Nigeria may be made to feel like an outsider despite possessing the same Nigerian citizenship as every other Nigerian. The particular concern in this case is that such an attitude allegedly emerged within a professional setting where equality before the law and professional conduct should be fundamental. A property dispute is a legal matter. If there is a disagreement between landlords and tenants, there are lawful procedures for resolving it. Threats, intimidation, the alleged use of thugs and appeals to ethnic identity have no place in the administration of justice. The law should never become a vehicle through which tribal identity determines who has authority, who deserves to be heard or whose position carries weight. The Conduct of the Police It is equally important to record the professional conduct of the officers who handled the matter. The DCO1 and DPO of Iyanganku Police Station are specifically acknowledged for their professionalism and integrity in handling the situation. Their conduct demonstrates that institutional responsibility can be exercised without allowing ethnic identity to determine how a dispute is handled. A Question for the Legal Profession The legal profession must confront the implications of tribal prejudice when it appears within its own ranks. Lawyers operate within a system founded on law, rights, due process and equality. Ethnic identity should have no place in determining the professional treatment of another Nigerian. An Igbo Nigerian does not become less Nigerian because he lives in Ibadan. A Yoruba Nigerian does not become less Nigerian because he lives in Enugu. The same principle applies to every Nigerian, regardless of ethnic origin or place of residence. The issue in this case is therefore not the identity of the lawyer as a Yoruba person. It is the alleged invocation of Yoruba identity to assert authority over, or diminish the standing of, another Nigerian specifically because that person is Igbo. That is the conduct that constitutes the Igbo-phobic dimension of this incident. Justice Must Not Have a Tribe The law belongs to every Nigerian. A legal dispute should be determined by facts, evidence, procedure and applicable law—not by whether one party is Igbo and another is Yoruba. The legal profession must never become a platform through which ethnic prejudice is expressed or legitimized. An Igbo Nigerian should be able to live, work, own property and seek justice in Ibadan without being treated as an outsider. A Yoruba Nigerian should have the same rights in Enugu. Nigeria’s ethnic diversity cannot become a basis for determining who deserves to be heard, respected or protected by the law. The law should never ask whether you are Igbo or Yoruba before it gives you justice. Justice must be based on the law—not tribe.