Tension is mounting in Anambra State following the state government’s decision to abolish the Monday sit-at-home order associated with the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The development has heightened unease across the state, driven by a mix of public sympathy for what IPOB describes as “civil disobedience” and the group’s rejection of the government’s directive compelling residents to resume normal economic activities on Mondays.
The Anambra State Government announced the ban after an executive retreat held last week, directing civil servants, traders and businesses to fully reopen on Mondays. It also warned that sanctions would be imposed on individuals or groups that continue to observe the sit-at-home in defiance of the directive, adding that a task force would be established to enforce compliance.
The Guardian recently reported that the prolonged sit-at-home observances have contributed significantly to economic disruptions and revenue losses across the South-East.
Anambra State has proposed a ₦757 billion budget for the 2026 fiscal year—the lowest among South-East states—with projected internally generated revenue of ₦60 billion, representing about 12.7 per cent of the total budget. Analysts have raised concerns over the state’s ability to meet its fiscal targets amid the persistent shutdown of commercial activities on Mondays.
Reacting to the government’s move, IPOB rejected the ban, insisting that the Monday sit-at-home remains a voluntary act of civil disobedience. The group argued that no governor has the legal authority to compel citizens to open their businesses or move about against their will.
IPOB warned that any task force established to enforce compliance would amount to an “illegal provocation” against law-abiding citizens.
In a statement issued yesterday, IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, said Governor Chukwuma Soludo, like other governors, lacks the power to suppress what he described as a peaceful, non-violent expression of conscience.
The group cautioned the governor against what it termed threats towards Ndi Anambra and Ndi Igbo, stressing that the role of government is to protect citizens rather than punish them.
IPOB further urged the Anambra State Government to recognise civil disobedience as a fundamental democratic principle, describing it as “a peaceful refusal to cooperate with policies and conditions perceived as unjust.”
“If businessmen, traders, students, professionals, elders and youths voluntarily choose to stay at home on Mondays as a silent protest against the continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu, that is their right,” the statement said. “It is not a crime, not rebellion, and not an offence.”
As both sides hold firm, residents and business owners remain caught between economic pressures and the growing political and security tension surrounding the sit-at-home directive.
