The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has announced the immediate cancellation of the long-running Monday sit-at-home across the South-East region.
In a statement released on Sunday, IPOB spokesperson Emma Powerful said the directive came directly from the group’s detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who urged residents to resume normal activities, reopen markets and shops, and allow children to return to school without fear.
According to Powerful, the decision was taken to restore normal life in the region, stressing that there was no longer any reason for residents to remain indoors on Mondays.
“The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), under the supreme leadership of Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, hereby informs the public that the Monday sit-at-home across the South-East has been officially and permanently called off with effect from Monday, February 9, 2026,” the statement said.
IPOB warned that any individual or group attempting to enforce sit-at-home orders going forward would be acting in direct violation of Kanu’s instruction.
The Monday sit-at-home was introduced in 2021 as a protest against the arrest and continued detention of Kanu, who was extradited from Kenya to Nigeria to face terrorism-related charges.
Initially observed only on days Kanu appeared in court, the protest later evolved into a weekly action and, over time, was enforced through threats and violent attacks by armed groups.
Although IPOB had previously announced a suspension of the sit-at-home, compliance remained widespread in many South-East states due to fear and insecurity, leading to severe economic losses, school shutdowns and repeated appeals by state governments for residents to ignore the order.
In recent months, some governors in the region have taken firm steps to end the practice. Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, ordered the reopening of markets and schools on Mondays and warned that the state would no longer tolerate forced shutdowns.
Soludo also directed that markets closed under the pretext of sit-at-home be reopened, threatening salary deductions and sanctions against civil servants, including teachers, who fail to report to work. He maintained that there is no official sit-at-home policy in the state.
In response, IPOB accused state governments of intimidating traders and workers through market closures, threats and demolition notices, arguing that governors had no right to coerce citizens who chose to stay at home based on personal conviction.
However, the group reaffirmed that Nnamdi Kanu has now ordered a total end to the Monday sit-at-home and urged residents of the South-East to continue their lawful activities peacefully.
“The era of Monday sit-at-home has come to an end,” IPOB said, calling on the public to remain calm, law-abiding and vigilant.
