Igbo Community Leaders In Diaspora Set To Stop Illegal Banning of Eze Ndigbo Title

KINGSLEY EBERE 

The controversy trailing the ban of the Eze Ndigbo title outside Igboland has taken a new dimension as some Igbo community leaders in the diaspora have vowed to challenge what they described as illegal banning of the title by the Committee on the Regularization of Igbo Diaspora Traditional Title and Leadership, CRIDTTL.

The diaspora leaders alleged that the ban is illegal, unconstitutional and an infringement on the fundamental human right of freedom of association as guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.

http://P.M.EXPRESS reports that this is coming on the heels of the statement issued by CRIDTTL on Thursday, where it cautioned against the alleged continued use of proscribed titles such as Eze, Eze Ndigbo and Eze Igbo in the diaspora.

The committee, which said it was established by the South-East Council of Traditional Rulers, SECTR, had stated that its attention was drawn to instances where the titles were still being used and conferred despite the new position of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide.

According to CRIDTTL, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide constitution now provides that the use and conferment of royal titles such as Eze, Eze Ndigbo and Eze Igbo outside Igboland is proscribed and will no longer be recognised. The position was publicly restated on April 9, 2026, by the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Senator John Azuta-Mbata.

However, reacting to the development, some Igbo leaders in Lagos and in the diaspora told http://P.M.EXPRESS that CRIDTTL, the South-East Council of Traditional Rulers and Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide have no such rights to ban any title outside the South-East.

According to them, traditional rulers from the South-East have no jurisdiction outside their domains and cannot impose the Onyendu Ndigbo title on Igbo people living in Lagos, Abuja, Ghana or other parts of the world. They argued that Igbo communities in diaspora are registered associations under Nigerian law and under the laws of their host countries, and therefore have the right to choose their own leadership nomenclature.

One of the leaders, who did not want his name in print for fear of victimisation, said: “Ohanaeze Ndigbo is a socio-cultural organisation with voluntary membership. It has no right over non-members. You cannot force Onyendu on us. We are not subjects of any monarch in the South-East. We are Igbos residing in Lagos and we have our own way of organizing ourselves.”

They also alleged that the banning directive is an attempt to create monopoly and to extort money from diaspora leaders through induction fees, adding that 77 persons inducted so far in May and July 2026 paid heavily for certificates.

The group further alleged that the committee has no constitutional power to enforce any ban and that any attempt to use Police to disrupt lawful Igbo gatherings will attract legal consequences.

They cited the recent disruption of the Igbo Speaking Community New Yam Festival in Aboru, Lagos, where Police operatives were allegedly used to stop the festival over leadership tussle linked to the title controversy.

“We have briefed our lawyers. If they use Police to disrupt our New Yam Festival in Aboru again or any other Igbo cultural festival in Lagos, they will pay damages. New Yam Festival is our culture, not politics. No committee in Owerri can stop Igbos in Lagos from celebrating our culture under our chosen leaders,” another leader said.

The diaspora leaders maintained that Eze Ndigbo is not a territorial title claiming ownership of Lagos land, but a cultural title for coordination of Igbo affairs, welfare of members, burial and conflict resolution among Igbos living outside Igboland.

They argued that host communities have never complained about the title, and that what causes conflict is not the title but imposition and attempts to collect money from diaspora.

They therefore called on the Lagos State Government and the Nigeria Police Force not to allow themselves to be used to enforce what they called an illegal ban, stressing that only a court of competent jurisdiction can restrain any Nigerian from using a cultural title.

Efforts to get a detailed response from CRIDTTL on the allegations of lack of jurisdiction and threat to sue over the Aboru festival disruption were ongoing as at the time of filing this report.

However, the committee had earlier stated that the Onyendu Ndigbo framework is now the recognised model for Igbo cultural representation outside Igboland, where leaders serve as cultural representatives and community coordinators rather than territorial monarchs, and that the new arrangement is designed to ensure that diaspora leadership remains compatible with the laws and customs of host communities.

The controversy is expected to continue as both sides insist on their positions over the legitimacy of Eze Ndigbo title in the diaspora.