The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, proclaimed an end to all sit-at-home orders in the South-East on Friday. He also ruled out the use of any other recommended tactics by the organisation to pressure the government into releasing him from custody.
In a handwritten letter that Kanu instructed his special attorney, Aloy Ejimakor, to read out to journalists during a global press conference held in Enugu on Friday, Kanu made the revelation.
The IPOB leader made it clear that anyone participating in future sit-at-home protests in the area is no longer his disciple.
Kanu followed Simon Ekpa, a factional leader of the organisation, in refusing to use his media outlets to announce the cancellation and subsequent announcement in a written declaration dated July 24, 2023, which Ejimakor read.
However, Kanu cautioned Ekpa to “desist from calling for any sit-at-home going forward” and “to make a public announcement to the effect that he (Ekpa) is in receipt of a direct order from him (Kanu) to cancel any pending sit-at-home in place at the present” instead.
Simon, I’m giving you this exact order, it said. I hereby command you to cease calling for any further sit-at-home meetings. Additionally, be careful not to rile up governors or other political figures because you have no idea what they are up to on my behalf. I’m instructing you to publicly state that you have my direct permission to revoke any current sit-at-home order, and that you have done so.
“I started this movement to free our people, not to hold them as slaves. Any individual or organisation that wants to put our people through needless hardship has my utmost contempt, and I always will. If you don’t make this announcement on your platform, I’ve given Alloy the go-ahead to issue a press release.
“Anyone who continues to engage in sit-at-home activities is not my follower. Haters of Biafra and mindless killers in uniform are launching mayhem against the very people we vowed to protect while disguising themselves as battling enforcers of the sit-at-home movement.
I’ve told everyone who is ostensibly implementing the sit-at-home rule several times that they are not acting in my name. I’m not pleading for anyone to let me go; all I’m asking is that Nigeria show some respect by abiding by its own rules.
The Supreme Court’s outrageously long wait times for hearing the government’s appeal should be the main concern for our people, since a sit-at-home protest is not a solution. As a result, staying in is a waste of time, money, and energy.
“Those who might not be aware of the origins of the sit-at-home movement should read my younger brother’s news release on the eve of the start of the initial order issued by the IPOB family. My brother let the DOS know that I objected to the directive to stay at home, whatever its justification. My siblings and DOS still disagree about this to this day.
“Aloy should use the aforementioned contributions to create the bulk of the press release. I want our folks to understand where this whole sit-at-home controversy came from. If DOS had followed my explicit directions to cancel the first Monday sit-at-home, scavengers would not have come on board to wreck havoc on our people. I want our folks to understand where this whole sit-at-home controversy came from. Opportunistic scavengers would not have rushed on the bandwagon to wreck havoc on our people had DOS followed my exact orders to cancel the first Monday Sit-at-Home.
The screenshot of the handwritten message I always handed you must accompany the news release that you (Aloy) release tomorrow. The letter says, in part:
