The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has announced a region-wide shutdown across the South-East on Monday, February 2, to protest the temporary closure of the Onitsha Main Market and to demand the release of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
In a statement released on Friday by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, the group said the planned sit-at-home action is a solidarity move with traders affected by the market closure ordered by the Anambra State government. IPOB described the protest as a voluntary and peaceful form of civil disobedience, rejecting claims that it amounts to criminal activity or deliberate economic disruption.
The group criticised Governor Chukwuma Soludo over the market shutdown and his warnings of possible demolitions, land revocations, and additional sanctions against traders. IPOB alleged that the closure was aimed at discouraging the ongoing Monday sit-at-home protests and labelled the action as an attack on the economic wellbeing of the region.
According to IPOB, the planned shutdown is not an enforcement exercise but a collective response by residents who are angered by what the group described as punitive measures against traders whose livelihoods depend on the Onitsha Main Market, one of the largest commercial hubs in Africa.
The organisation urged traders, transport workers, banks, schools, civil servants, and other sectors across Anambra, Abia, Imo, Enugu, Ebonyi, and other parts of the former Eastern Region to suspend activities and remain indoors during the protest.
IPOB also reiterated its commitment to non-violence, advising supporters to remain law-abiding and avoid any form of confrontation. It warned of possible attempts to discredit the protest through violence and maintained that its agitation is focused on dialogue and a referendum on self-determination.
Governor Soludo had earlier ordered the closure of the Onitsha Main Market for one week, citing continued compliance with IPOB’s sit-at-home order as the reason for the decision.
