The Indigenous People of Biafra has suspended the weekly sit-at-home exercise which it kicked off in the southeast this week and had wanted to sustain.
Emma Powerful, spokesperson of the group, announced the suspension in a statement on Saturday, adding it was due to an order from its leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
IPOB had said the weekly exercise would continue until Kanu, who is currently detained by the Department of State Services, was released.
“The suspension of the Sit-At-Home by the IPOB Head of Directorate was as a result of an order from the leader of this great movement, Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” Powerful said in the statement.
“In accordance with the directive from our leader, our Sit-At-Home will, in the meantime, be observed on the date of our leader’s court appearances.
Continuing, the statement said:
“The leadership of the Indigenous People of Biafra understand the concern being expressed by the global IPOB family on the suspension of the weekly Sit-At-Home earlier announced by the IPOB Head of Directorate of State of the Indigenous people of Biafra.
“We know that our people embraced this civil action wholeheartedly and without any compulsion. The leadrrship sincerely appreciate the innate desire of Biafrans to sacrifice their time, resources and energy in ensuring that our leader Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is released unconditionally from the illegal custody of the Nigerian State who criminally renditioned him from Kenya to Nigeria.
“There is no gain saying the fact that one of the major fundamental guiding principle of IPOB is Command and Control. This simply means that all command from the Supreme leader of the Indigenous people of Biafra (IPOB) will be obeyed and implemented to the latter by the Directorate of State of the Indigenous people of Biafra.
“Bearing in mind therefore that this principle has enabled this movement to surpass even the expections of both Biafrans and Non-Biafrans alike, the leadership wish to encourage Biafran to focus on the most pressing issue confronting this great family presently which is ensuring the safety of our leader while still in the illegal custody of the DSS and to secure his unconditional release from detention.
“The lPOB leadership urge Biafrans worldwide to take note of the next court appearance of our leader which is the 21st of October 2021. If however we have any reason or directive from the IPOB hightest command that require us to reactivate the suspended Weekly Sit-At-Home, the leadership will not hesitate to lift the suspension and continue with the our civil action.
The statement added, “The leadership once more appreciate all Biafrans and our friends and sympathizers who faithfully observed the Monday August 9 Sit-At-Home which was a huge success throughout Biafra land. May God continue to bless and uphold all those committed to our struggle.
“We consider Biafra restoration as a sacrosanct call to duty above all else. Any other information regarding Sit-At-Home in Biafraland not emanating from IPOB through our main channels of information dissemination should be disregarded.
“The Nigeria Government should heed now to the voice of reason coming from within Nigeria and from outside the shores of Nigeria to unconditionally free our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, and announce a date for Biafra referendum or plebiscite where our people will choose where they wish to belong before it is too late.”
The first day of the exercise on Monday, August 9, 2021 led to deaths, burning of transport vehicles, attacks on individuals and suspension of economic and social activities in the five states of the southeast.
