A wave of fresh xenophobic tension is brewing in Ghana as scores of locals took to the streets on Tuesday, demanding the expulsion of Nigerians, especially Igbos, from their country. In a now-viral video, protesters in their hundreds were seen waving placards with deeply troubling messages.
Some of the inscriptions read: “Armed robbery and violent attacks must stop,” “Our health at stake due to mass prostitution,” “Nigerians are kidnapping and using people for rituals,” and “Our kids are getting missing because of Igbos.”
Protesters also displayed a photo of a man allegedly killed by a Nigerian in Accra, using the incident to reinforce their accusations. The mob-like tone of the protest was unmistakable. One woman, visibly angry and in her mid-30s, declared in the video:
“Nigerians must go because you can’t be in someone’s country and be doing anyhow.”
Another protester went further to accuse Nigerians—particularly Igbos—of economic sabotage and social invasion.
“They’ve taken over our markets, they’re in every village, doing things our laws don’t even permit foreigners to do. They even have an Igbo king in Ghana! They’ve hijacked our land and economy. But we will conquer them and take back our country.”
This protest brings painful echoes of the infamous “Ghana Must Go” episode of 1983, when the Nigerian government under President Shehu Shagari expelled over two million undocumented immigrants, most of them Ghanaians. That episode left a historical scar and birthed the iconic red-and-blue checkered bags now synonymous with forced migration.
Back then, President Shagari had said:
“If you break a law, then you have to pay for it. Illegal immigrants, under normal circumstances, should not be given any notice whatsoever.”
Now, the tables appear to be turning.
As of the time of this report, the Ghanaian government has not made any official comment on the disturbing protests or how they intend to protect law-abiding Nigerians living and doing business in the country.
This development is sparking renewed fears of rising xenophobia in West Africa, with many urging both governments to urgently intervene before the tension spills into violence.
