By Nchetachi Chukwuajah
In a move to counter the directive by the Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, for markets and other economic activities to resume in the state on Mondays, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has declared Monday, February 2, a sit-at-home across the South-East.
IPOB, in a statement issued on Friday, January 30, said the sit-at-home order is in solidarity with traders at the Onitsha Main Market.
Recall that Soludo had ordered a one-week closure of the Onitsha Main Market on Monday, January 26, citing the traders’ continued observance of the sit-at-home declared by IPOB since July 30, 2021.
The governor said the sit-at-home was crippling the state’s economy and warned against further compliance with the order.
However, traders at the market said the sit-at-home was in solidarity with the detained leader of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, who is standing trial on charges related to separatist agitation.
In the statement on Friday, IPOB accused Soludo of working with “Abuja collaborators” to undermine the rights of Igbo traders and the Biafran self-determination movement.
The group announced what it described as a “Biafra-wide solidarity strike,” calling for a total shutdown of economic activities across the South-East and other Biafran territories on February 2.
“The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), under the leadership of Nnamdi Kanu, hereby declares a Biafra-wide solidarity strike, a complete lockdown of all economic activities across Igboland and wider Biafran territories, on Monday, February 2, 2026.
“This action is a direct response to the closure of the Onitsha Main Market by the Anambra State Governor and threats of further punitive measures against traders for observing the Monday sit-at-home,” the statement read.
The group described the market closure as an attack on traders’ livelihoods, insisting that the sit-at-home was a voluntary act of solidarity and not enforced by the group.
In the statement, IPOB called on residents of the South-East to remain indoors on the said date and refrain from commercial activities, urging supporters to conduct themselves peacefully and lawfully.
“On Monday, February 2, we call on all Biafrans across Anambra, Abia, Imo, Enugu, Ebonyi, and beyond to observe this solidarity strike peacefully,” the statement added.
IPOB reiterated its demand for the unconditional release of Nnamdi Kanu and accused the Anambra State Government of escalating tensions through what it described as economic intimidation of traders.
