The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has urged residents of Nigeria’s Southeast to disregard a sit-at-home order issued by an unknown group, stating that the directive did not come from them.
IPOB, a group advocating for the independence of the Biafran region, has officially disowned the circulating messages urging residents to stay off the streets and halt daily activities.
In a statement released on Monday, IPOB emphasized that the directive, which has been spread through various social media platforms, was not authorized by their leadership.
The sit-at-home order, reportedly scheduled for two days, Monday, October 21, and Tuesday, October 22, has been communicated via audio and video messages online. The warnings claim that anyone who fails to comply with the order will face severe consequences.
The content of these messages goes further to advise parents to keep their children away from schools during the stated days, with an additional warning to market and shop owners to close their businesses in line with the directive.
The threats attached to the messages have sparked concerns among residents of the Southeast, a region that has faced disruptions in the past due to similar directives.
In response to the circulating warnings, IPOB has urged people in the region to continue their normal activities without fear of repercussions.
The group’s spokesperson, Emma Powerful, clarified that IPOB had not declared any sit-at-home order for the said dates, disassociating the organization from the messages that have caused alarm in the Southeast.
In his statement, Emma Powerful said, “IPOB did not declare any sit-at-home order on October 21 and 22.
“The illegal order is from criminal elements and Finland-based infiltrators who are not our members”.
He continued, “Biafrans must understand that IPOB does not declare unnecessary sit-at-home.
“We have since suspended it and anybody declaring it is a criminal element that should be ignored.
“We didn’t want to talk about it again to avoid giving undue popularity to the inconsequential order from Finland-based infiltrators,” Powerful added.
