January 25, 2026 — Dalena Reporters
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has warned the Anambra State Government and Governor Chukwuma Soludo against attempting to penalise residents for failing to observe the weekly Monday sit‑at‑home, saying such actions would violate citizens’ rights and further heighten tensions in the region.
In a statement released on Saturday, January 24, IPOB described the government’s move to abolish the Monday sit‑at‑home order and threaten sanctions against workers, particularly teachers, who do not report to work as “an attack on economic freedom,” urging the Soludo administration to reconsider.
IPOB’s Directorate of States (DoS) spokesperson Emma Powerful said in the statement that community members who continue to observe the sit‑at‑home should not be punished, and that such enforcement would be interpreted as government coercion rather than governance.
“Every Anambra citizen is a freeborn, sovereign person. If we choose to sit at home on Mondays, no government has the right to penalise us,” the IPOB statement said.
The group maintained that the weekly sit‑at‑home shutdown, which began in 2021 and has been widely observed across the state, is a civil action reflecting public concerns and should not be treated as a punishable offence.
IPOB also accused the Anambra government of selective enforcement of laws, insisting that citizens are being unfairly targeted while larger security issues affecting public safety go unaddressed.
The statement urged government authorities to focus on ensuring security for residents and creating an environment in which people can carry out their daily activities without fear, rather than pursuing punitive measures over voluntary shutdowns.
IPOB’s warning adds another dimension to the ongoing debate over the Monday sit‑at‑home practice in southeastern Nigeria, which has periodically disrupted schooling, commerce and travel in Anambra and neighbouring states.