Nnamdi Kanu declares stop to sit-at-home protests, disregards Ekpa

On Friday, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, proclaimed an end to all sit-at-home orders in the South-East and any other suggested measures by the organisation to pressure the government into releasing him from custody.

Kanu made the statement in a handwritten letter that he gave permission for his special attorney, Aloy Ejimakor, to read to journalists during a global news conference on Friday held in Enugu.

The leader of IPOB made it clear that anyone who continues to participate in sit-at-home protests in the area is no longer one of his disciples.

Kanu followed the refusal of a factional head of the organisation, Simon Ekpa, to publish the cancellation and further declaration through his media outlets in a written declaration dated July 24, 2023, which Ejimakor read.

Kanu, on the other hand, issued a warning to Ekpa, telling him to “desist from calling for any sit-at-home from now on” and “to make a public proclamation to the effect that he (Ekpa) is in receipt of a direct instruction from him (Kanu) to cancel any pending sit-at-home in place at the present.”

“Simon, this is a direct instruction from me,” it said. You have my permission to stop scheduling any future sit-at-home meetings. You should also avoid provoking governors or other political figures because you have no way of knowing what they are up to on my behalf. You must publicly state that you have received a direct instruction from me to revoke any pending sit-at-home orders that are currently in effect.

“I started this movement, not to enslave our people, but to free them. I hate and always will hate anyone or anything that wants to put our people through needless suffering. If you fail to make this news on your platform, I give Alloy permission to publish a press release.

“Anyone still engaging in stay-at-home activities is not one of my disciples. Under the guise of fighting enforcers of sit-at-home, Biafra haters and mindless murderers in uniform are committing heinous crimes against the same people we pledged to protect.

I have often told individuals allegedly implementing the sit-at-home rule that they are not acting in my name. I’m not pleading with anyone to free me; all I’m saying is that Nigeria should have the decency to abide by its own laws.

“The fundamental problem that our people should think about is the outrageously long waits for the Supreme Court to consider the government’s appeal, which is a scenario that does not lend itself to any kind of stay-at-home protest. Sitting at home is a waste of time, money, and energy.

“Those who might not be aware of the origins of the sit-at-home campaign should read my younger brother’s news release on the night before the IPOB family’s initial edict went into effect. My brother made it apparent to the DOS that I disagreed with the directive for individuals to remain at home, regardless of the justification. My siblings and DOS have a rift because of this to this day.

“Aloy should use the aforementioned contributions to create the press release’s main body. I want our people to understand the origins of the sit-at-home controversy. Opportunistic scavengers would not have leapt on the bandwagon to wreck havoc on our people if DOS had followed my exact orders to cancel the first Monday sit-at-home. I want our people to understand the origins of the sit-at-home controversy. Opportunistic scavengers would not have leapt on the bandwagon to wreck havoc on our people if DOS had followed my exact orders to cancel the first Monday Sit-at-Home.

You (Aloy) must issue the press release tomorrow along with a screenshot of the handwritten note I always sent you. Part of the letter reads: