“Ethnic Capture” Alert: Civic Group Urges NASS to Halt Alleged Yoruba Dominance in Security, Justice, Economy Before Crisis Erupts

By TGnews reporter

A formal petition addressed to Nigeria’s National Assembly has raised serious allegations of systemic violations of the Federal Character Principle, accusing the current administration of allowing an unprecedented ethnic concentration of power in key institutions, predominantly favoring individuals from the South-West (Yoruba) ethnic group.

Titled “Petition Against the Systemic Violation of the Federal Character Act and the Ethnic Concentration of State Power in Nigeria,” the document, dated January 12, 2026, was submitted to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. It invokes Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Federal Character Commission (Establishment) Act, warning that the alleged imbalances threaten national unity, democratic neutrality, and the stability of the federation.

The petitioners, signed by Comrade IG Wala under the banner NICIP, describe what they term an “ethnic capture” of critical executive, legal, prosecutorial, security, intelligence, and economic institutions. They argue this has created a “closed-loop” system that erodes checks and balances and marginalizes other regions, including the North, South-East, and South-South.

Key grievances highlighted include:

1. In the legal and prosecutorial sphere, the simultaneous leadership of the Ministry of Justice (Attorney-General of the Federation), the Directorate of Public Prosecutions, and the Federal Character Commission by individuals from the same ethnic extraction.
2. In security and intelligence, control over the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Department of State Services (DSS), and the Inspector General of Police reportedly resting with figures from the South-West bloc, which the petition claims removes impartiality and risks weaponization against political opponents from other regions.
3. In the economic domain, dominance in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Ministry of Finance, and Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), sidelining diverse regional economic interests.

The petition draws historical parallels to nations like Côte d’Ivoire and Kenya, where similar institutional ethnic monopolies preceded civil unrest due to eroded trust in state “neutral referees.”

It warns of rising selective prosecution—or “lawfare”—against opposition figures from the North and South-East, while similar allegations within ruling circles allegedly go unaddressed. This, the document claims, is fostering institutional distrust, radicalizing citizens, and pushing toward regional extremism and national fragmentation.

Among the reliefs sought, the petitioners urge the National Assembly to:  Immediately conduct a public hearing and Federal Character audit of all “Grade A” appointments from 2023 to 2026 to assess regional distribution; Enforce a strict “Chairman-Secretary” split in commissions like the FCC and EFCC, ensuring top roles are divided between North and South per established tradition; Push for greater regional diversity in the Directorate of Public Prosecutions to rebuild confidence in judicial neutrality and Issue a formal caution to the Executive to uphold the spirit of federal character by avoiding regional concentration in heads of the DSS, EFCC, and Police.

In its closing appeal, the petition describes the situation as a democracy “in decay” when exclusion becomes normalized, urging swift legislative intervention before public anger reaches an irreversible breaking point.

Copies of the petition were also sent to international and regional bodies, including the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the African Union Commission (AU), the Commonwealth Secretariat, and Nigeria’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

The allegations echo longstanding criticisms of appointment patterns under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, with various reports and commentators noting a perceived Yoruba dominance in sensitive security and economic roles since 2023. While some defend these as merit-based or comparable to past administrations’ regional tilts, others view them as breaching the constitutional mandate for equitable representation across Nigeria’s diverse ethnic and regional groups.

Read Also: FG Confers Nat’l Honours on Gen Musa, Buratai, Others in Recognition of Gallantry, Sacrifice