Self-announced factional leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Simon Ekpa, has announced a two-week sit-at-home in the South East.
Ekpa had taken to his official twitter page in the early hours of Tuesday, July 11, to issue a fresh directive for another lockdown.
His tweet partly reads:
“Following the demand by Biafrans for more sit-at-home civil disobedience, the Biafra Republic Government In-Exile, BRGIE, and Biafra De Facto Government In Homeland wishes to notify Biafrans of a sit-at-home civil disobedience beginning from 31 July, 2023 to 14 August, 2023.”
The aim of this sit-at-home, according to Ekpa, was to demand for the immediate and unconditional release of IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, who was still detained at the DSS headquarters and also to prepare Biafra for a self-referendum.
According to Ekpa’s tweet, the sit-at-home will be taking place in the following order: Monday, 31 July, 2023 to Friday, 4 August 2023. There will reportedly be a ‘total lockdown’ in Biafra land.
Then on Saturday, 6th August- Sunday, 7th August, the two-week-long sit-at-home will take a break so all Biafran markets will be opened.
“On Monday, 7th August to Friday, 11 August, a total lockdown in Biafraland would be enforced and on Saturday, 12 August to Sunday, 13 August 2023, there will be a break so that all Biafran markets will open.”
“Consequently, there will be a lockdown on Monday, 14 August, in Biafraland. l urge all market leaders to seriously adhere to this directive and treat it with seriousness. “
Ekpa had gone further to warn all oil companies operating in the ‘Biafran territory’ to stop their activities on the specified dates to avoid ‘heavy consequences’ from Biafrans.
Ekpa’s sit-at-home order had come several hours after South East political leaders had held a closed-door meeting with President Ahmed Tinubu, to resolve the security situation in the region. Could his recent order be a challenge to the South Eastern Governors?
Governors, National and State Assembly members as well as other notable leaders of the region had been present at the meeting in Abuja.
This fresh directive is overwhelming. A whooping two-week shutdown, with a two-day interval is really disappointing. For the duration of the ‘protest’, economic activities would be halted in the region.
One hopes the South East governors intervene in a timely manner to stop this menace.
