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The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has clarified that the sit-at-home observed on February 2 in parts of Onitsha was a one-time action and not a return to the weekly Monday lockdowns previously enforced in the South-East.
IPOB spokesperson Emma Powerful explained that the February 2 action was a response to what the group described as the increasingly authoritarian posture of Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo, particularly following tensions with traders in Onitsha. He emphasized that IPOB has not reinstated any policy of weekly sit-at-home orders.
Powerful recalled that the Monday sit-at-home originally began in August 2021 to demand the release of IPOB leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, who was then in the custody of the Department of State Services. The action was later cancelled on Kanu’s directive due to widespread concerns about its negative impact on the Igbo economy.
“The cancellation was widely welcomed,” Powerful said, “and IPOB has repeatedly distanced itself from criminal elements who continued to enforce sit-at-home through violence and intimidation. Linking IPOB to ongoing Monday shutdowns after the cancellation is unfair and misleading.”
He noted that IPOB occasionally called for sit-at-home days when Kanu appeared in court, but these actions were limited, voluntary, and observed in solidarity, without coercion.
“The sit-at-home observed on Monday, February 2, 2026, was not a policy shift by IPOB,” Powerful said. He added that the group has consistently opposed weekly shutdowns, as many of its members are traders, artisans, transporters, and small business owners who rely on daily economic activity.
Powerful stressed that IPOB does not take pleasure in sit-at-home actions but argued that when an elected Igbo governor threatens citizens with demolitions or force—especially at a time when Igbo properties are being destroyed elsewhere—people are bound to express their displeasure.
He maintained that peaceful expressions of anger over Kanu’s continued detention should not be met with intimidation, warning that such tactics only deepen resentment and mistrust.
Powerful also accused the South-East Governors’ Forum of lacking genuine interest in Kanu’s release, questioning why there appeared to be active support for his conviction despite, in IPOB’s view, insufficient evidence of wrongdoing.
He reiterated that sit-at-home has long been ended and stressed that there will be no enforcement moving forward. IPOB does not want Igbo traders harassed or threatened for choosing to open their businesses.
According to Powerful, the solution lies in dialogue, justice, and respect for the rule of law—not intimidation or collective punishment. He noted that the issue extends beyond IPOB, reflecting broader feelings of injustice among the Igbo people.
