The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has announced the permanent cancellation of the Monday sit-at-home across the South-East, effective February 9, 2026, following a directive from its leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
The announcement was conveyed by the group’s spokesman, Emma Powerful, in a statement issued on Sunday, indicating that the order came directly from Kanu.
Initially declared in August 2021 to protest Kanu’s extradition to Nigeria and subsequent incarceration, the weekly sit-at-home often led to widespread shutdowns of markets, schools, banks, and offices.
Powerful emphasized that this new directive eliminates “any need, excuse, or justification” for residents to stay indoors on Mondays, insisting that economic and social activities must fully resume.
“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 explained.
The group warned that any individual or organization attempting to enforce a sit-at-home would be acting contrary to Kanu’s direct order.
“Kanu has made it abundantly clear that any person or group attempting to enforce a sit-at-home from this moment forward is acting against his direct command,” the statement indicated.
Powerful also cautioned against what he termed “false-flag operations” aimed at instilling fear and discouraging residents from resuming normal activities, urging people to remain calm and law-abiding.
Additionally, the group warned state governments against threatening or shutting down businesses, stipulating that any renovations or reconstructions of markets must be conducted 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 concluded.
According to an SBM Intelligence report, the sit-at-home directives enforced in the South-East from 2021 to 2025 were linked to at least 776 violent incidents and an equal number of deaths across the region.
The enforcement relied on intimidation, arson, kidnappings, and targeted attacks on civilians who defied the orders.
The report documented 332 violent incidents and 776 fatalities over the four-year period, with Imo and Anambra states suffering the most.
In addition to the human cost, the crisis severely hindered economic activity, with losses estimated at around N7.6 trillion due to repeated market closures and disruptions to transport and trade.
Last week, Anambra State Governor Prof Chukwuma Soludo mandated the forced reopening of the Onitsha Main Market on Monday, directly defying the sit-at-home directive issued by IPOB.
During a prior visit on Monday, January 26, 2025, the governor had ordered the market to shut after traders failed to open. After a one-week closure, the market was reopened on February 2, with many traders operating for the first time since the enforcement of the sit-at-home order began in 2021.
Addressing the visibly excited traders, Soludo declared an end to the Monday sit-at-home directives and warned that any trader complying with IPOB’s order would risk losing their business premises.
He also stated that those refusing to open their shops would face potential loss of their businesses.
