The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has reportedly shifted its stance, calling for “meaningful dialogue” with the Anambra State Government following a series of aggressive sanctions aimed at ending the controversial “Monday Sit-at-Home” order.
The call for talks, surfacing today, Sunday, 25 January 2026, comes as Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s administration intensifies its crackdown on individuals and businesses that continue to observe the unauthorized stay-at-home order, which has crippled the local economy for years.
The Anambra State Government recently rolled out several measures to force a return to normal Monday business hours such as, withholding salaries for workers who fail to show up at their duty posts on Mondays.
More so, the government has also threatened to permanently seal stalls in major markets like Onitsha and Nnewi if traders do not open for business.
While monitoring schools and threatening to revoke the licenses of private institutions that remain closed on Mondays.
Consequently, IPOB has officially distanced itself from the enforcement of the Monday Sit-at-Home (often blaming “criminal elements” or “breakaway factions”), the group’s leadership is now urging the government to stop the harassment of citizens.
IPOB also argues that sanctions will only create more tension and that the government should instead focus on providing security to those who want to come out.
The group maintains that the sit-at-home is a symptom of the continued detention of their leader, Nnamdi Kanu, and that dialogue should address this core issue rather than punishing traders.
They are calling for a “synergy” between the government and local stakeholders to distinguish between peaceful protest and criminal enforcement by “unknown gunmen.”
Statement from the Anambra State Government
“We cannot continue to hold our economy hostage to fear. While we are open to dialogue that ensures the safety of our people, the law must be obeyed. Sanctions are not to punish, but to restore the dignity of work in Anambra.”
