The leadership of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has called on residents of the Southeast to disregard a two-day sit-at-home order issued by an unidentified group. IPOB clarified that the directive, set to take place from Monday, October 21, to Tuesday, October 22, did not originate from their organisation.
In a statement released on Monday, IPOB spokesperson, Emma Powerful, urged residents to continue their daily activities as usual, dismissing the order as the work of “criminal elements” and “Finland-based infiltrators.”
“IPOB did not declare any sit-at-home order on October 21 and 22. The illegal order is from criminal elements and Finland-based infiltrators who are not our members,” Powerful stated.
Audio and video messages had circulated on social media, warning Southeast residents to avoid the streets, advising parents to keep their children home, and cautioning business owners against opening shops. These messages also included threats against those who failed to comply.
Powerful reiterated that IPOB had long suspended the sit-at-home orders and urged the public to ignore this latest directive.
“Biafrans must understand that IPOB does not declare unnecessary sit-at-home. We have since suspended it, and anybody declaring it is a criminal element that should be ignored,” he added.
The group emphasised that it chose not to comment earlier to avoid giving attention to what they called an “inconsequential order” from those outside the movement.
