IPOB Warns Governor Soludo Over Move to Halt Monday Sit-at-Home

The leadership of the Indigenous People of Biafra has issued a stern and unequivocal warning to the Governor of Anambra State, Professor Charles Soludo, over his recent efforts to dismantle the long-standing Monday sit-at-home protest. In a strongly worded statement released by the group’s spokesperson, Emma Powerful, the organization accused the governor of overstepping his constitutional bounds and attempting to suppress the fundamental rights of the people. The group argued that the weekly protest is a peaceful and voluntary demonstration of solidarity with their detained leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, and should not be met with state-led intimidation.

Central to the group’s grievance is the reported plan by the Anambra State government to establish task forces or enforcement units designed to compel traders and business owners to open their shops on Mondays. IPOB characterized such a move as an act of provocation and a direct assault on the dignity of the citizens. The statement reminded the governor that Anambra State is not a military barracks and that the residents are not tenants on their own ancestral land, asserting that no elected official possesses the legal authority to force a free citizen to conduct business against their will.

The group specifically targeted Soludo’s academic background, suggesting that as a professor, he should be well-versed in the democratic principles of civil disobedience. They maintained that the refusal to open shops or move about on Mondays is a non-violent expression of conscience. According to the group, when professionals, students, and traders choose to stay indoors, they are participating in a symbolic protest against what they describe as the unjust persecution of Nnamdi Kanu. They insisted that this collective action is neither a crime nor a rebellion, but a legitimate right.

IPOB further accused the governor of trying to appease political interests in Abuja at the expense of his own constituents. The statement suggested that Governor Soludo is more interested in being viewed as a loyalist by federal power brokers than in addressing the deep-seated frustrations and historic pain felt across the South-East. The group claimed that while violent elements in other parts of the country are often treated with leniency or offered rehabilitation, the governor is choosing to expend his energy threatening peaceful traders and punishing youths for their silent dissent.

The warning from the organization reached a fever pitch with the declaration that any attempt to use force to break the sit-at-home would be considered a “red line.” The group warned that if the state government proceeds with extortion, harassment, or arrests through enforcement squads, it would be viewed as an open declaration of hostility against the “spirit of Biafra.” They cautioned that such actions would transition the state from governance into a regime of oppression, which would inevitably be met with resistance from the collective resolve of the people.

Defending the nature of the weekly protest, the spokesperson emphasized that the group does not utilize force to keep people indoors. Instead, they argued that the sit-at-home is a voluntary sacrifice made by individuals who believe that justice and freedom are worth the economic loss. By staying home, the group asserts that the people are making a personal and collective statement that transcends local decrees. They challenged the governor to focus on his primary mandates—infrastructure, job creation, and security—rather than fighting the very people he swore to protect.

The statement also took a swipe at the governor’s “Dubai-Taiwan” developmental vision for Anambra. IPOB argued that a governor who fights his own traders for protesting injustice is not building a world-class economy but is instead planting the seeds of resentment and division. They suggested that the aggressive stance taken by the state government is igniting a social fire that could become impossible to control if the underlying issues of marginalization and judicial unfairness are not addressed through dialogue and empathy.

Ultimately, the group maintained that the only lasting solution to the unrest and the weekly economic shutdown is the unconditional release of Nnamdi Kanu. They described the detained leader as the symbol of their hope and freedom, insisting that as long as he remains in custody, the conscience of the people will continue to drive the Monday protests. The message to the Anambra State government was clear: the solution lies in justice, not in the coercion of citizens or the deployment of enforcement units against a population in mourning.