The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has condemned the Anambra State Government over the reported sealing of shops at the Onitsha Main Market, urging Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo to immediately reverse the action and unseal all affected businesses.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, IPOB said it had received “credible reports” that the state government had begun sealing shops belonging to traders who failed to open their businesses on Mondays, allegedly in line with an earlier warning by the governor against the continued observance of sit-at-home in parts of the South-East.
Attempts to confirm the action were unsuccessful. But IPOB, describing the move as “deeply troubling, reckless, and authoritarian,” argued that the action amounted to collective punishment of innocent traders who had committed no crime.
“To seal the shops of hardworking traders because they did not open on a particular day is not governance; it is collective punishment,” the group said.
“Even under a simple landlord-tenant relationship, a landlord cannot lawfully lock out a tenant for not sleeping in the house on a particular day. Such an act would amount to unlawful eviction.”
IPOB reiterated that its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has repeatedly and publicly called for an end to the sit-at-home and the violent enforcement of it by any individual or group, stressing that its position on the matter has not changed.
“Our leader, Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has consistently called for an end to sit-at-home and the violent enforcement of it,” the statement said.
“Where sit-at-home still occurs, it is a voluntary civil expression of solidarity by ordinary people who are pained by the continued illegal detention of our leader. It is not a policy of coercion.”
The group maintained that the behavior of the public cannot be altered through threats or punitive actions, noting that fear, past experiences, and unresolved grievances continue to shape public response in the region.
“Governor Soludo, as an economist and self-professed intellectual, should understand that societal patterns do not change at the snap of a finger simply because a governor issues threats from a podium,” IPOB said.
“People are not automatons. They are citizens with fears, experiences, and memories of past injustices.”
IPOB warned that the sealing of shops and other economic sanctions would not restore normalcy in the state but could instead heighten tension and mistrust between the government and the people.
“Intimidation, threats, and economic punishment will not produce the normalcy the governor claims to desire,” the group stated.
“Such heavy-handed tactics risk provoking unnecessary tension and deepening mistrust.”
The group also expressed disappointment that an Igbo governor would adopt measures it described as reminiscent of the economic repression historically faced by Igbo people in other parts of the country.
“The duty of an Igbo governor is to protect his people, not to traumatize them with the same instruments of intimidation used elsewhere,” IPOB said.
Calling for restraint, IPOB urged Governor Soludo to adopt dialogue and persuasion rather than force, emphasizing that leadership should be rooted in justice and respect for citizens’ rights.
“Leadership is not about issuing threats or demonstrating force against one’s own people,” the statement added. “Leadership is about patience, persuasion, justice, and respect for the dignity of citizens.”
IPOB concluded by reaffirming its commitment to peace, lawful conduct, and a negotiated political solution, while cautioning authorities against actions capable of provoking public unrest.
“Those in authority must act with restraint and wisdom, not with authoritarian impulses,” the group warned, urging the governor to “tread carefully” in a manner that promotes healing, unity, and respect for the rule of law.
