The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has strongly condemned the Anambra State Government’s decision to seal shops at Onitsha Main Market, describing the move as “deeply troubling, reckless, and authoritarian.”
In an official statement released on February 10, 2026, and signed by Comrade Emma Powerful, IPOB’s Spokesperson and Media and Publicity Secretary, the group accused Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo of executing his earlier threat against traders who did not open their businesses on Mondays.
The statement emphasized that IPOB’s leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has consistently and publicly called for an end to the sit-at-home order and the violent enforcement of it by any individual or group. IPOB reiterated that its official position has not changed.
According to the group, where the sit-at-home still occurs, it remains a voluntary act of solidarity by ordinary citizens pained by the continued detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. IPOB insisted that the observance is not a policy of coercion and cannot be reversed through threats, intimidation, or punitive state measures.
The statement read in part:
“Governor Soludo, as an economist and self-professed intellectual, should understand basic human behavior. Societal patterns and public responses do not change at the snap of a finger simply because a governor issues threats from a podium or moves around with a long convoy. People are not automatons. They are citizens with fears, experiences, and memories of past injustices.”
IPOB described the sealing of shops as a form of collective punishment rather than legitimate governance. The group drew an analogy to landlord-tenant relationships, arguing that even a private landlord cannot lawfully lock out a tenant for not occupying the premises on a specific day, as such an action would constitute unlawful eviction.
“How then can a governor, who is merely a trustee of public authority, attempt to seal shops belonging to citizens who have committed no crime?” the statement questioned.
IPOB warned that intimidation, threats, and economic punishment would not achieve the normalcy Governor Soludo claims to seek. Instead, the group cautioned that such heavy-handed tactics risk provoking unnecessary tension, deepening mistrust between the government and the people, and escalating public discontent.
The pro-Biafra organization urged Governor Soludo to immediately reverse the action and unseal all affected shops. It stressed that true leadership requires patience, persuasion, justice, and respect for the rights and dignity of citizens—not threats or the demonstration of force against one’s own people.
The statement expressed particular disappointment that a governor of Igbo extraction would adopt measures reminiscent of the economic hardship and humiliation experienced by Igbo communities in other parts of Nigeria.
“It is particularly disappointing that a governor of Igbo extraction would adopt tactics that mirror the humiliation and economic destruction our people have suffered in other parts of Nigeria. The duty of an Igbo governor is to protect his people, not to traumatize them with the same instruments of intimidation used elsewhere,” IPOB declared.
The group reaffirmed its commitment to peace, lawful conduct, and the pursuit of a negotiated political solution. It reiterated earlier warnings that actions capable of provoking the population should be avoided and urged those in authority to exercise restraint and wisdom rather than authoritarian impulses.
IPOB concluded by advising Governor Soludo to “tread carefully and act in a manner that promotes healing, unity, and respect for the rule of law.”
The development has drawn attention amid ongoing debates over the sit-at-home observance in the South-East, which has persisted in parts of the region despite IPOB’s official call to end it. Traders and market associations in Onitsha have reportedly expressed frustration over the economic impact of both the sit-at-home and the state government’s enforcement measures.
As of the time of this report, the Anambra State Government has not issued an official response to IPOB’s statement or confirmed the number of shops sealed at Onitsha Main Market.
