The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has explained that the sit-at-home observed on February 2 in parts of Onitsha, Anambra State, was a one-off action and not a return to the weekly Monday lockdowns that previously disrupted life across the South-East.
In a statement, IPOB spokesperson Emma Powerful said the move was triggered by what the group described as the increasingly authoritarian posture of Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo, particularly following tensions with traders in Onitsha.
“The action was a reaction to Soludo’s posture. IPOB has not reinstated any policy of weekly sit-at-home,” Powerful said.
The sit-at-home directive, first introduced in 2021, was originally intended to press for the release of IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu. Over time, however, the weekly lockdowns became controversial, drawing strong clampdown from state governments who complained about economic losses and insecurity.
By 2023, IPOB had officially suspended the weekly Monday sit-at-home, though sporadic enforcement by splinter groups and criminal elements continued to cause disruptions in parts of the region.
Current Tensions in Anambra
The February 2 action came from the sudden hardball threat of Governor Soludo to close down the market all week, any Monday in which the traders failed to open their shops for normal trading.
In return the traders defiantly protested government decision as heavy-handed, drawing sympathy from IPOB which then declared the following Monday, February 2 as Sit-at-Home.
IPOB’s latest statement clarifies the sit-at-home was meant as a symbolic protest rather than a reinstatement of the weekly lockdown policy.
The clarification is significant for residents of the South-East, many of whom feared a return to the weekly shutdowns that previously crippled economic activity.
IPOB’s assurance that the February 2 action was isolated may ease concerns, though tensions between the group and state authorities stay unresolved.
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