IPOB suspends sit-at-home order
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has suspended the weekly sit-at-home exercise it commenced this Monday in its Southeast enclave.
The group’s spokesperson, Emma Powerful, stated this in a statement on Saturday.
IPOB had declared a weekly sit-at-home exercise to protest the arrest and detention of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu by the Nigerian government.
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The exercise, which commenced on Monday, August 9, was trailed by the loss of lives and property.
The South-east is said to have lost millions of naira to the exercise as Monday is usually one of the busiest days for businesses in the region.
The group said the suspension of the exercise is due to a “direct order” from Mr Kanu to that effect.
“There is no gain in saying the fact that one of the major fundamental guiding principles of IPOB is Command and Control.
“This simply means that all command from the Supreme leader of the Indigenous people of Biafra (IPOB) will be obeyed and implemented to the latter by the Directorate of State of the Indigenous people of Biafra,” the group said.
“We know that our people embraced this civil action wholeheartedly and without any compulsion.
“The leadership sincerely appreciate the innate desire of Biafrans to sacrifice their time, resources and energy in ensuring that our leader Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is released unconditionally from the illegal custody of the Nigerian State who criminally renditioned him from Kenya to Nigeria,” it added.
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IPOB said that in accordance with the directive from its leader, the Sit-At-Home would, in the meantime, be observed on the date of Mr Kanu’s court appearances.
“If, however, we have any reason or directive from the IPOB highest command that requires us to reactivate the suspended weekly sit-at-home, the leadership will not hesitate to lift the suspension and continue with the civil action.”
IPOB urged the Nigerian government to free Mr Kanu, unconditionally.
It also urged the government to announce a date for the “Biafra referendum” where the people of the region will choose where they wish to belong “before it is too late”.
IPOB is a proscribed secessionist group seeking an independent state of Biafra to be carved out of Nigeria’s South-east and parts of the South-south region of the country.