By PAMELA EBOH Awka

Ndigbo Lagos in collaboration with a group of lawyers and other non-indigenes have initiated legal proceedings against the Federal, Lagos State Govt, the Directorate for State Security (DSS), Nigerian Police and other non-state actors.

The group said in a recent statement that the suit was as a result of the prevention of non-indigenes in Lagos State from exercising their fundamental right during the last 2023 general elections in Lagos State.

The statement partly read: “We seek enforcement of the fundamental human rights of the affected persons and associations and also seek appropriate remedies in accordance with law.

“As widely reported and acknowledged both by local and international press, local and international election monitors and observers as well as foreign embassies in Nigeria, there was unwholesome and unprecedented ethnic profiling, baiting, intimidation, violence (leading in some cases to grievous bodily harm and fatalities) were visited upon Ndigbo in particular and other non-indigenous population of Lagos State who came out to cast their votes during the last general elections in Lagos State.

“There were also incidents of non-state actors who routinely intimidated people not to come to vote for their choice candidates and actually organised physical and injurious attacks on voters who peacefully came out to exercise their franchise to vote.

“In all that, there is evidence that the security agencies stood by and did nothing to protect the victims.”

Ndigbo Lagos called on its members, Ndigbo resident in Lagos and friends, associates who are non-indigenes and were victims of the various attacks highlighted above to send them written detailed information of their experiences, stating names, addresses, phone contacts, pooling units and other related information.

“They should also provide where available photos, videos and related stuffs of the incidents,” the statement said.

It added: “Persons who cannot personally articulate their experience should contact us and come forward with their stories, and they would be articulated and documented for them.

“Email all these to the following email addresses: ndigbo_lagos@yahoo.com

“Tag the Subject of the email as: ELECTION 2023 INCIDENT REPORT

“ENQUIRIES: 08090447770 [SMS ONLY]”.

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