The Indigenous People of Biafra has dared Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, urging residents and traders to ignore the government’s closure of markets and resume business activities, following the widespread observance of Monday’s sit-at-home order across the state.
The pro-Biafra group said residents had “spoken clearly” by staying indoors, a development that led the Anambra State Government to shut the Onitsha Main Market for one week, with officials hinting that the closure could be extended if traders fail to reopen next Monday.
In a statement issued on Monday by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, IPOB commended residents for complying with the sit-at-home directive in solidarity with its detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu, and warned the governor against what it described as intimidation of citizens.
“The people of Anambra have once again shown that dignity is more valuable than money,” the group said, accusing Soludo of abandoning the people’s cause in a bid to impress federal authorities.
IPOB called on traders in Onitsha, Nnewi and Awka to reopen their shops from Tuesday, insisting that no government had the right to shut down markets or punish citizens for what it described as peaceful civil disobedience.
“No administration has the right to weaponise markets against the people. The threats to shut down markets are not governance but intimidation,” the statement read, warning that anyone obstructing market reopening would “have something greater than them to contend with.”
The group urged the governor to channel his energy into campaigning for Kanu’s release rather than clamping down on traders, stressing that the sit-at-home protest remained a non-violent expression of grievance.
“Democracy is not measured by threats or task forces but by respect for freedom of thought, conscience and lawful protest,” IPOB said, adding that “the era of warrant chiefs enforcing colonial interests against their own people is long gone.”
It insisted that the only lasting solution to the unrest in the South-East was the release of Kanu, urging Igbo leaders to intervene and calling on residents to remain peaceful and disciplined.
The Anambra State Government had earlier ordered the closure of Onitsha Main Market after traders failed to open their shops, saying the measure was aimed at restoring normal economic activities and discouraging sit-at-home compliance that had crippled commerce in the state.
Efforts to get a reaction from state officials on IPOB’s latest statement were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
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