The association described the act as a fundamental infringement of democratic rights of freedom of movement and association.
The Southern and Middle Belt Forum has alleged that it was prohibited from flying from Abuja to Benue State to attend a Middle Belt summit on restructuring on Monday, July 16, 2018.
According to the group's spokesperson, Chief John Nwodo, the group, led by Chief Edwin Clark, was stopped at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, and told that it needed clearance to land in Makurdi, Benue's capital.
He said they spent five hours at the airport but were stopped from flying by the Commandant of the Makurdi Airport, identified as Lt. Commander A. Audu.
Nwodo, who is also the President-General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, described the act as a fundamental infringement of democratic rights of freedom of movement and freedom of association.
He said, "We arrived in time for our flight today at 12 noon, the airport commandant disallowed us from flying and said we needed to go and get permission to land in Makurdi.
"We consider this fundamental infringement on our democratic rights of freedom of movement and freedom of association. There is nothing in our law precluding us from moving to wherever we like, from holding an opinion in so far as we do not breach any law in Nigeria.
"What has happened to us today expresses a lot of doom for fundamental human rights in our country, for the free exchange of ideas as unavoidable instruments of achieving growth and development of our polity.
"We deprecate the treatment that we were given today, which prevented us from physically joining our brethren in the Middle Belt in a common view which we all hold, a very patriotic view, which we think will be the only way to guarantee the future of our country."
Nwodo further expressed solidarity with the people of the Middle Belt on their views on restructuring and criticised the federal government's high-handedness.
He also criticised President Muhammadu Buhari's recent signing of Executive Order No 6 which will deprive alleged criminals of the proceeds of their illicit activities which can otherwise be employed to allure, pervert and/or intimidate the investigative and judicial processes.
"Not too long ago, the President signed into law an Executive order, which gives him the right to seize people's assets. This is almost like a military government. And we think that this is an intrusion into the principles of separation of powers in our country.
"It is the responsibilities of the legislature to make law, of the executive to implement the law and the judiciary to interpret the law. I do not think that Section 5 of the Constitution gives the President such executive authority to make laws," he said.
The leaders of the forum addressed the summit via a telephone call after they couldn't make it to Benue.
NAF explains why flight was cancelled
The Director of Public Information of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), Air Vice Marshal Tokunbo Adesanya, disclosed to Vanguard on Monday that the forum did not apply for a landing permit.
He noted that since Makurdi Airport is a military facility and not a civil one, NAF reserved the right to determine who could land there.