The proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has announced the total and permanent cancellation of the Monday sit-at-home across the South-East, effective February 9, 2026.
The announcement was made by IPOB’s spokesperson, Emma Powerful, in a statement issued on Sunday, where he disclosed that the directive came directly from the group’s detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
According to IPOB, the decision marks the official end of the sit-at-home that was first declared in August 2021 to protest the arrest and continued detention of Kanu. Since then, Mondays across the region had been characterised by widespread shutdowns of markets, schools, banks, offices and transport services.
Powerful said the latest order leaves no justification for residents to remain indoors on Mondays, stressing that normal economic and social activities must now resume fully.
“The IPOB, under the supreme leadership of Nnamdi Kanu, hereby announces to the entire world that the Monday sit-at-home across the South-East is officially and permanently cancelled with effect from Monday, February 9, 2026,” the statement read.
He added that Kanu personally took the decision to ensure that children return to school and that residents can carry out lawful businesses without fear or intimidation.
Powerful warned that any individual or group attempting to enforce sit-at-home going forward is acting against Kanu’s explicit instruction and would be treated as an enemy of the people and the Biafran cause.
The group also accused certain elements of attempting to create fear, stage attacks or intimidate residents under false pretences, urging the public to remain vigilant, calm and law-abiding.
While reaffirming the cancellation, IPOB cautioned state governors, including Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo, against allegedly using the directive to intimidate traders or shut down markets forcibly.
IPOB insisted that any market renovation or reconstruction must involve stakeholder consent, proper consultation and provision of adequate temporary trading locations.
The group concluded by calling on residents of the South-East to open their shops, go to work and send their children to school without fear, declaring that:
“The era of Monday sit-at-home is over.”
