ENUGU, Nigeria – February 8, 2026 – In a landmark announcement with profound implications for the economy and social life of Nigeria’s Southeast, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has declared an official and permanent end to its controversial Monday sit-at-home order. The directive, attributed directly to the group’s detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu, takes effect immediately from Monday, February 9, 2026.
The declaration, issued by IPOB’s spokesperson Emma Powerful, represents a decisive shift in the group’s strategy, which for years enforced weekly lockdowns across the five southeastern states. The order mandates the full and normal resumption of all economic and social activities, stating there is “now no need, excuse, or justification for anyone to stay at home on Mondays.”
Direct Order from Detained Leader
The statement asserts the cancellation comes “directly from Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu himself,” who is currently detained at the Department of State Services facility. In an unusually direct challenge to internal dissent, the announcement warns that “any individual or group attempting to enforce sit-at-home from this moment forward is acting against his direct command.” It labels such persons “enemies of our people” and vows they “will be pursued to the ends of the earth.”
This move appears designed to reassert central control and curb the activities of splinter factions and criminal elements that have exploited the sit-at-home orders to enforce compliance through violence and intimidation, often harming the very communities IPOB claims to represent.
Economic and Social Implications
The permanent cancellation promises significant relief for the region’s beleaguered economy. For years, the Monday lockdowns have crippled commerce, education, and transportation, costing the Southeast billions of naira in lost economic activity and deepening poverty.
– Economic Revival: Markets, banks, schools, and offices are now instructed to operate fully.
– Educational Continuity: The statement explicitly calls for children to return to school every Monday.
– Public Safety: IPOB warns of potential “false-flag operations” by “enemies of Biafra” designed to create fear but urges people to remain “vigilant, calm, and law-abiding.”
Political Tensions and Conditions
While cancelling the civil disobedience, IPOB issued a stern warning to state governments, particularly targeting Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo. The group asserts that “no state governor has the right to threaten, demolish, or forcibly shut down the businesses of traders” who previously observed the sit-at-home. It demands that any market renovation involving temporary relocation must have “the consent of all stakeholders” and provide “adequate temporary trading sites.”
This conditional stance highlights the delicate and often adversarial relationship between the pro-Biafran movement and Southeast governors, who have repeatedly condemned the economic sabotage of the lockdowns.
The announcement concludes with a call for unity, stating, “Our struggle is for freedom, dignity, and justice for all,” and urging people to resume normal life “without fear.” The effectiveness of this order in halting all violent enforcement and restoring complete normalcy to the region’s Mondays remains to be seen, but it marks a pivotal moment in the Southeast’s protracted crisis of civil obedience and separatist agitation.
