Nigerian actor and voice-over artist Segun Arinze has called on Nigerians living in Ghana to respect the country’s sovereignty and laws.

Speaking on Hitz FM’s Daybreak Hitz with Doreen Avio and Kwame Dadzie on Thursday, September 11, 2025, Arinze cautioned against misconduct by foreigners, stressing the need for discipline and respect in host countries.

“When you go to somebody’s country, the onus lies with you to respect the sanctity of that sovereignty,” he advised.

His comments followed recent controversy surrounding reports that a Nigerian man planned to establish an Igbo community in Ghana.

“I heard something last month about a Nigerian who wants to become an Igwe in Ghana. You leave your hometown in Nigeria, you come to Ghana and you want to become Igwe? If I was around, na hammer we for take hammer ein head,” Arinze said bluntly.

A few months ago, Eze Chukwudi Jude Ihenetu, popularly known as Eze Ndi Igbo Ghana or Eze Ohazurume I of Ndigbo in Ghana, was reported to have acquired 50 acres of land in Old Ningo, Greater Accra, to build an “Igbo village” or “Igbo kingdom.”

The alleged project was said to include a palace, a 2,000-seat town hall, a 100-room guest house, a market, a school, streets named after Igbo icons, and a garden.

However, the Ga Traditional Council swiftly rejected the reports, clarifying that it had never recognised Eze Ihenetu as a king in the Ga State and urging him to stop presenting himself as one. The Ningo Traditional Council also denied selling land for such a project.

Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, also intervened, cautioning against actions that could undermine national unity and stressing the need for all residents to respect Ghanaian laws.

In response to the backlash, Eze Ihenetu issued a clarification, denying any land acquisition or plans to build an Igbo village.

He explained that the rumours originated from a 2013 interview in which he shared initial visions that were later abandoned.

He noted that the project was cancelled in 2014 and apologised to Ghanaians for any misunderstanding caused.