Normalcy Returns: IPOB Cancels Weekly Shutdown
IPOB Lifts Monday Sit-at-Home
THE proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has announced the permanent cancellation of the Monday sit-at-home across the South-East, effective Monday 9 February 2026.
The directive, according to IPOB, came directly from its imprisoned leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, who ordered the resumption of normal social, educational, and economic activities in the region.
Background of the Sit-at-Home
The Monday sit-at-home was first introduced in August 2021 as a form of protest against Kanu’s arrest, rendition, and continued detention. The weekly shutdown saw markets, schools, banks, offices, and transport services across the South-East remain closed every Monday.
Announcing the cancellation, IPOB spokesperson Emma Powerful said there was “no longer any justification” for residents to stay indoors on Mondays.
“The IPOB, under the supreme leadership of Nnamdi Kanu, hereby announces to the entire world that the Monday sit-at-home across the South-East is officially and permanently cancelled with effect from tomorrow,” Powerful said.
He emphasized that Kanu’s personal directive aims to ensure that children return to school and people resume their lawful businesses without fear or intimidation.
Vigilance Against Enforcers
IPOB warned that any individual or group attempting to enforce sit-at-home would be acting against Kanu’s orders, labeling such persons “enemies of our people and the Biafran cause.”
“Our people must remain vigilant, calm, and law-abiding,” the group stated, alleging that staged attacks had been used in the past to instil fear and enforce compliance.
At the same time, IPOB cautioned state governments against forcing traders to open shops or threatening market demolitions, specifically warning Anambra Governor Chukwuma Soludo against intimidation.
Call for Unity and Normalcy
The group urged residents to resume normal activities, including going to work, opening shops, and sending children to school. IPOB emphasized that market redevelopment projects must involve stakeholders and provide temporary trading sites before relocation.
“We therefore call on all our people across the South-East to come out tomorrow, open their shops, go to work, and send their children to school without fear. The era of Monday sit-at-home is over,” the statement concluded.
