The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has strongly condemned Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, for threatening to revoke ownership of Onitsha Main Market, other markets across the state and rebuild them as a punitive measure against traders who observe the Monday sit-at-home in the state and in the South-East.
In a statement issued on Thursday and signed by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, IPOB described the governor’s threat as “reckless, provocative and dangerous.
IPOB alleged that Soludo’ threat formed part of a broader plan to undermine the group’s campaign for the release of its imprisoned leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, and the wider Biafra self-determination movement.
IPOB accused Soludo of attempting to criminalise what it said to be a voluntary and peaceful act of civil disobedience by traders in cities such as Onitsha and Aba, who close their businesses on Mondays in solidarity with Kanu.
According to IPOB, the governor’s threats amount to an attempt to intimidate business owners and provoke instability in Anambra State and the wider Igbo region.
IPOB claimed the move was part of a “scripted agenda” allegedly driven by interests outside the South-East to discredit the Biafra agitation and portray the region as volatile.
The group questioned the timing of Soludo’s comments, noting that the governor had reportedly acknowledged that markets operated freely on Mondays during the Christmas and New Year period without incidents of violence or coercion.
“IPOB insists that this admission contradicts claims by security agencies and some sections of the media that traders observe the sit-at-home out of fear,” the statement said, adding that the closures were instead “a voluntary expression of solidarity” demanding Kanu’s release.
IPOB further alleged that the Nigerian government and its allies were deliberately misrepresenting the sit-at-home as a product of intimidation in order to divert attention from what it described as the “core issue of injustice” surrounding Kanu’s continued detention.
The group also linked Soludo’s comments to what it said to be a growing international attention on the Biafra cause and the legal situation of its leader.
IPOB claimed that the governor’s position was aimed at provoking confrontation and weakening what it said was an ongoing diplomatic campaign for international recognition of Biafra.
Despite the life sentence Kanu is serving in Sokoto Prison, IPOB said its leader remains resolute and has continued to inspire his supporters.
The group claimed it had worked to maintain relative calm in the South-East and accused Soludo of risking a reversal of that peace through “inflammatory rhetoric.”
IPOB alleged that the Nigerian government was funding lobbying efforts abroad, particularly in the United States, to depict the South-East as unstable and ungovernable.
According to IPOB, such efforts were intended to discourage international sympathy or support for the Biafra movement.
The group warned residents of Anambra and the wider South-East to be vigilant against what it described as “false flag operations, media manipulation and provocations” that could be used to justify further crackdowns.
It also cautioned against what it said were attempts to replicate security crises experienced in other South-East states, particularly Imo State.
IPOB argued that Soludo’s alleged threats against traders were unprecedented, claiming that governors from other regions would not adopt similar measures against their own people.
It described the governor’s stance as a betrayal that would be remembered by the Igbo people.
Calling for restraint, IPOB urged its supporters and residents of the region to remain disciplined and committed to non-violence.
The group appealed to the international community, human rights organisations and “well-meaning Nigerians” to hold the Anambra State governor accountable for statements it said could endanger lives and livelihoods.
Reiterating its position, IPOB said its objective remained the conduct of a referendum to determine the future of Biafra, insisting that its struggle would continue through peaceful means.
IPOB reaffirmed its commitment to a “peaceful and lawful struggle,” declaring that the quest for Biafra’s self-determination remained inevitable.
