Simon Ekpa, the factional leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has issued a threat to impose a three-week sit-at-home on civil servants in the Southeast region of Nigeria if IPOB leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is not released. This threat comes in the wake of the ongoing two-week sit-at-home declared by IPOB.
Taking to Twitter, Ekpa stated that the agenda of the sit-at-home is to make life difficult for civil servants in the region, demanding the immediate and unconditional release of Nnamdi Kanu, who is currently in detention. He warned that if Kanu is not released, a fresh three-week lockdown will be enforced, affecting only Nigerian civil servants and officials within Biafra territory.
Furthermore, Ekpa emphasized that during the lockdown, police, army, and other government offices within Biafraland will be closed for the specified period, intending to cripple the government’s operations due to a lack of funds.
In early July, Ekpa had previously announced the two-week sit-at-home in the South East, calling for Kanu’s release and preparing for Biafra’s self-referendum. The sit-at-home was also meant to invalidate the legitimacy of Nigerian representatives in Biafran territory. The two-week sit-at-home is currently ongoing, and Ekpa’s recent threat extends the call for Kanu’s release and further actions if the demand is not met.
He outlined the specific dates for the two-week sit-at-home, with breaks for Biafran markets to open. The situation remains tense in the Southeast as the separatist group pushes for Kanu’s release and continues to assert its demands for the realization of Biafra’s self-determination.
