IPOB Leader, Kanu Orders Ekpa to End All Sit-at-Home Protests in S’East

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia and Gideon Arinze in Enugu

The detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has issued a directive to the renegade Biafra activist, Simon Ekpa to put an end to all sit-at-home protests in the South-east zone.

The IPOB leader made it clear that sit-at-home which started on August 9, 2021 “is a waste of time, resources and energy”, adding that it “inflicts unnecessary hardships on our people.”

This was contained in a handwritten direct order that Kanu gave to his special counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, to deliver to Ekpa instructing the special counsel to make it public if Ekpa failed to implement the order.

Ejimakor said “this direct order was personally handed to me by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu when I visited him on the said 24th July, 2023 at the headquarters of the Department of State Security (DSS), Abuja.”

He stated the direct order from Kanu was successfully delivered to Ekpa via WhatsApp in the early hours of July 25, 2023 but he was yet to act on the instruction of the IPOB leader.

The order from the IPOB leader states: “Simon, this is a direct order from me. I hereby instruct you to desist from calling for any sit-at-home henceforth.

“Equally refrain from antagonising governors or persons in political positions because you are not in a position to know what they are doing on my behalf.

“I am ordering you to make a public announcement to the effect that you are in receipt of a direct order from me to cancel any pending sit-at-home in place at the moment. 

“I embarked on this movement to liberate our people, not to enslave them. I despise and will despise any person or entity that wishes to inflict unnecessary hardship on our people.”

Kanu further made it clear to the self-styled prime minister of Biafra that “I have authorised Aloy to issue a press statement if you fail to make this announcement on your platform.”

The IPOB leader pointedly told Ekpa that he would not condone any action causing harm to the people he is seeking to liberate hence the controversial sit-at-home must end.

“Anybody still engaging in sit-at-home is not my disciple. Haters of Biafra and mindless murderers in uniform are hiding under the cover of combating enforcers of sit-at-home to unleash mayhem against the same people we swore to defend.

“I have sent countless messages to those purportedly enforcing sit-at-home that they are not doing so in my name. I am not begging anybody to release me just that Nigeria should have the decency to obey their own laws.”

According to Kanu “the main issue which our people should address their minds to is the unconscionable delays in hearing the government appeal at the Supreme Court, which is a situation not amenable to any sit-at-home.” 

Recounting the genesis of the sit-at-home phenomenon, Kanu explained that he never supported its adoption as a strategy for the struggle for Biafra self-determination. 

“Those who may not understand the genesis of the sit-at-home should refer to my younger brother’s press statement on the eve of the commencement of the original order issued by the IPOB family. 

“My brother made it clear to the DOS (Directorate of State) that I was against the order for people to stay at home under whatever guise. This caused a rift between my siblings and DOS till date.

“I want our people to know how this whole sit-at-home brouhaha started. Had DOS obeyed my direct instructions to cancel the first Monday sit-at-home, opportunistic scavengers would not have jumped on the bandwagon to wreak havoc on our people.”