The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has announced the permanent cancellation of the Monday sit-at-home across the South-East, following a directive from its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, with effect from February 9, 2026.
The announcement was made by the group’s spokesman, Emma Powerful, in a statement issued on Sunday, which said the order came directly from Kanu.
The pro-Biafran group had declared the weekly sit-at-home in August 2021 to protest Kanu’s rendition to Nigeria and subsequent incarceration, a move that often resulted in the shutdown of markets, schools, banks and offices.
Powerful said the new directive left “no need, excuse, or justification” for residents to remain indoors on Mondays, stressing that economic and social activities must resume fully.
“The IPOB, under the supreme leadership of Onyendu Mazi 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, Monday, February 9, 2026.
“This directive comes directly from Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu himself, who has once again staked everything on the line to ensure that our children return to school every Monday and that our people go about their lawful businesses without fear, intimidation, or molestation,” the statement said.
The group warned that any individual or group attempting to enforce sit-at-home would be acting against Kanu’s direct order.
“Kanu has made it abundantly clear that any person or group attempting to enforce sit-at-home from this moment forward is acting against his direct command,” the statement said.
Powerful also cautioned against what he described as “false-flag operations” aimed at creating fear and discouraging residents from resuming normal activities, urging people to remain calm and law-abiding.
The group further warned state governments against threatening or shutting down businesses, saying any renovation or reconstruction of markets must be carried out with the consent of stakeholders and with adequate alternative trading arrangements.
“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 read.
According to an SBM Intelligence report, the sit‑at‑home directives enforced in the South‑East from 2021 to 2025 were associated with at least 776 violent incidents and 776 deaths across the region.
The orders were enforced through intimidation, arson, kidnappings and targeted attacks on civilians who defied them.
The report documented 332 violent incidents and 776 fatalities over the four‑year period, with Imo and Anambra states bearing the highest toll.
In addition to fatalities, the crisis crippled economic activity, with losses estimated at about N7.6tn due to repeated market closures and disruptions to transport and trade.
Last week, Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, ordered the forced reopening of the Onitsha Main Market on Monday, in a move defying the sit-at-home directive issued by IPOB.
During an earlier visit on Monday, January 26, 2025, the governor had ordered the market to be shut after traders failed to open that day.
Following a one-week closure, the market was reopened on Monday, February 2, with many traders operating for the first time since 2021, when the enforcement of the sit-at-home order began.
Addressing the visibly elated traders, Soludo declared an end to Monday sit-at-home directives and warned that any trader complying with IPOB’s order would risk forfeiting their business premises.
He added that those who refused to open their shops would face the loss of their businesses.
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