3rd September, 2023
By Nimot Sulaimon
Simon Ekpa, the acclaimed Prime Minister of the Biafra Government in Exile (BRGIE), has threatened a 3-week civil disobedience in protest over the continued detention of IPOB leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
His threat is contained in a statement titled ‘Delegitimization of Nigeria within Biafra Territory’.
He declared that if Nnamdi Kanu and other Biafrans held in Nigerian state custody are not released and all roadblocks and checkpoints in the southeast are not dismantled by September 15, 2023, the people will engage in another three weeks of civil disobedience, including a curfew.
The breakdown of this three-week sit-at-home and curfew protest is as follows:
Week One (September 18–September 23, 2023):
September 18, 2023: Normal Monday sit-at-home
September 19–22, 2023: Curfew from 6 a.m. to noon
September 23, 2023: Normal movement
Week Two (September 25–October 1, 2023):
September 25, 2023: Normal Monday sit-at-home
September 26–29, 2023: Curfew from 6 a.m. to noon
September 30–October 1, 2023: Normal movement in Biafra country.
Week Three (October 2–October 6, 2023):
October 2, 2023: Normal Monday sit-at-home
October 3-6, 2023: Curfew from 6 a.m. to noon
The statement further dictates that during these three weeks of curfew, all Nigerian government secretariats in Biafra territory must remain closed in all states.
Earlier this year, Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), disapproved of Ekpa’s sit-at-home declarations, citing their adverse impact on the economy.
Meanwhile, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Wing recently reaffirmed their commitment to ending sit-at-home protests in the southeast.
They expressed concern about the security challenges and economic disruptions caused by these actions and pledged to work towards restoring peace and security in the region and Nigeria as a whole.
IPOB had initially called for sit-at-home protests in 2021 to demand Nnamdi Kanu’s release, who is currently detained by the Department of State Services (DSS) on charges of treason, leading a proscribed group, and breaching bail conditions.
Despite IPOB’s cancellation of the sit-at-home order, Ekpa’s faction has continued to issue such directives, including a two-week sit-at-home last month.