•Incarcerated IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has announced the immediate and permanent termination of the Monday sit-at-home across the South-East, bringing to an end a protest that has disrupted social and economic life in the region for nearly five years.
In a statement issued yesterday, IPOB spokesperson Emma Powerful said the directive was issued by the group’s detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who urged residents to resume normal activities, reopen markets, and return children to school without fear.
According to the statement, Kanu said there is “no longer any justification” for the sit-at-home, stressing the need for the full restoration of normal life across the region.
“The Indigenous People of Biafra (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 Monday, February 9, 2026,” the statement read.
IPOB warned that any individual or group attempting to enforce the sit-at-home going forward would be acting contrary to Kanu’s directive, declaring that “the era of Monday sit-at-home is over.” Residents were urged to remain law-abiding and vigilant.
The Monday sit-at-home was introduced in 2021 following Kanu’s arrest and continued detention after his extradition from Kenya to Nigeria to face terrorism-related charges, reports The Guardian.
Initially limited to dates of Kanu’s court appearances, the protest later became a weekly exercise, often enforced violently by armed groups.
Although IPOB on several occasions announced a suspension of the action, compliance persisted across many parts of the South-East due to fear, threats, and attacks.
The prolonged shutdowns led to significant economic losses, repeated school closures, and sustained pressure from South-East governors urging residents to ignore the order.
In recent months, some state governments took firmer steps to dismantle the practice. Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, ordered the reopening of markets and schools on Mondays and warned that enforced shutdowns would no longer be tolerated.
Soludo directed that markets closed under the guise of sit-at-home be reopened and threatened sanctions against public servants, including teachers, who failed to report for duty. He also warned that salaries would be deducted from erring workers, insisting that there was no official sit-at-home policy in the state.
IPOB had previously accused state governments of using intimidation tactics —such as market closures and demolition threats — against traders and workers, arguing that governors had no right to coerce citizens who chose to stay at home out of “personal conviction.”
However, the group has now reaffirmed that Kanu has ordered a total end to the Monday sit-at-home and has called on residents of the South-East to go about their lawful activities without fear or intimidation.
