In a statement on Sunday, IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Comrade Emma Powerful, condemned reported threats by the governor to punish citizens who choose to remain indoors in solidarity with the detained IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has urged Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo of Anambra State to respect the will of the people, insisting that the ongoing Monday sit-at-home observed by residents is a peaceful, legal form of civil protest, not a criminal act.
In a statement on Sunday, IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Comrade Emma Powerful, condemned reported threats by the governor to punish citizens who choose to remain indoors in solidarity with the detained IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
The state government previously said it had formally abolished the Monday sit-at-home culture in the state, issuing an Executive Order that compels all schools to open on Mondays and threatening stiff salary sanctions against defiant staff.
Under the new directive, any teacher or non-tutorial staff who fails to report to school or office on Mondays risks losing 20 per cent of their salary or forfeiting it entirely.
The directive was contained in an official letter dated January 22, 2026, and signed by the Board Secretary of the Anambra State Universal Basic Education Board (ASUBEB), Loveline Mgbemena.
“The attention of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and all lovers of justice has been drawn to the reported threat by Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo to penalise and intimidate citizens who choose to remain indoors on Mondays as a symbolic act of solidarity with our leader, Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, who is being unlawfully detained by enemies of the Igbo race and the Biafra restoration project which he leads,” the group said.
IPOB described the sit-at-home as an expression of civil disobedience, emphasizing that it is voluntary and non-violent.
“Governor Soludo, as a man who parades the title “Professor,” should be the first to recognise the elementary democratic principle called civil disobedience—a peaceful refusal to cooperate with policies and conditions viewed as unjust,” the statement read.
The group stressed that residents’ choice to stay home does not constitute crime, rebellion, or misconduct.
“A government that turns peaceful protest into punishable misconduct is simply declaring war on the people’s dignity,” IPOB warned.
Powerful further accused the governor of harassing his own people to curry favor with the federal government.
“The frustration in Igboland is deep. The anger is justified. The pain is historic. And the Monday sit-at-home is a token expression of that collective burden,” the statement said.
“But instead of confronting the injustice that fuels agitation, the Governor has chosen the weak and disgraceful route of harassing his own people—to be seen as “loyal” by Abuja power brokers who have shown nothing but contempt for Igbo lives and Igbo dignity.”
IPOB also issued a stern warning against any enforcement measures targeting citizens.
“If Governor Soludo, in his desperation for applause, proceeds to establish any task force, enforcement squad, or vigilante-style unit to coerce citizens into opening shops through threats, extortion, harassment, arrests, or intimidation, then he has crossed a red line. That will not be governance. That will be provocation. That will be oppression,” the group said.
The group reiterated that the sit-at-home is a voluntary and peaceful act.
“We do not force people to sit at home. But no government will force them to go out,” the statement said.
“The sit-at-home is voluntary. It is a choice. It is a personal and collective statement of solidarity. People who stay home on Mondays do so because they believe sacrifice is part of the struggle for justice and freedom.”
IPOB also called on Governor Soludo to focus on governance instead of threats.
“A governor who fights traders for protesting injustice is not building Dubai. He is building resentment. He is planting division. He is igniting a fire he cannot control,” the group said.
Finally, IPOB highlighted what it described as the ultimate solution: the release of Nnamdi Kanu.
“The solution is not threats. The solution is justice. The solution is the release of Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu who is the symbol of our freedom and hope. Until that injustice is addressed, every Monday will remain a day of silent protest. Not by decree. Not by violence. But by conscience,” Powerful said.