Igbophobia―the racialisation of people of Igbo descent―remains pervasive in Nigerian society but is often mischaracterised as tribalism. We contend that framing it as tribalism obscures and trivialises its structural and racialised dimensions. Drawing on critical insights from ethnic studies, we reconceptualise Igbophobia as a virulent racism that dehumanises/maltreats people of Igbo descent particularly along biological, economic, and political lines. This argument is supported by empirical data sourced from X (formerly Twitter) combined with secondary sources including news reports and academic literature. By reframing Igbophobia as racism, we advance a more accurate and critical understanding of anti-Igbo discrimination in contemporary Nigeria.
Onyemechalu et al. (Thu,) studied this question.