Sit-at-home in South East: A case of different strokes for different folks

…As observance, enforcement vary from state to state

…Concerned citizens point way to sustainable solution

For about five years now when the sit-at-home on Mondays started in the South East geo-political zone, its intensity has varied from one state to another. Whereas some states experience complete lockdown, in some others, it is mild observance in some others.

But attempts by the political leaders in the zone to end the sit-at-home may not have yielded the desired result. Residents said the solution was in the release, from prison, of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

Despite steps taken by individual state governors and in the collective as South East Governors’ Forum to end the exercise that has caused lots of socio-economic dislocations in the zone, the people have continued to observe the sit-at-home.

Worried by the huge economic losses being experienced by Anambra State, Governor Chukwuma Soludo on January 26, 2027 shut down a popular market in Onitsha for one week as a warning to marketers.

The governor was also forced to shut down another market on Monday following non-compliance to his earlier warning.

Read also: South-East after the sit-at-home: a painful lesson in disunity

The sit-at-home order in the South-East began on August 9, 2021. It was initiated by IPOB as a protest to demand the release of their leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who was arrested and extradited from Kenya in June 2021.

Speaking with BusinessDay correspondents, some residents of Owerri, Aba, Awka, Enugu and Abakaliki gave reasons why the exercise has defied governments’ threats and directives.

Chukwudi Obasi, a structural engineer and the managing director, Obchuksum Farms Limited, said that the abolition of the sit-at-home in the South East would take a long time because of several groups that are sympathetic to the activity of IPOB.

“Even before now, Nnamdi Kanu has also called for the abolition of the sit-at-home even when it was causing a lot of problem. You know that ideology is hard to die; so, many people have taken the sit-at-home as their normal holiday, and for you as a human being, there is nothing you can actually do, because, the sit-at-home is like an ideology, and some people have rescheduled their business that on Mondays they no longer go out,” Obasi.

Obasi further said: “In Igboland, whether you are an IPOB member or not, you will agree with me that the sit-at-home is gaining traction because people are seeing it that the Igbos are marginalised and there are imbalances that the Igbos are fighting against.”

Ugochukwu Opara, a businessman in the zone, said: “A lot of people are not responding to the call to abolish the sit-at-home because of the ill treatment meted out to Nnamdi Kanu by the Federal Government.”

Opara however, suggested that unconditional release of Kanu from the Sokoto prison (correctional centre) by the Federal Government could end the sit- at-home.

In Ebonyi, the observance of the exercise has been very low. BusinessDay gathered that people go about their businesses on Mondays without molestation.

In Abia, residents and indigenes observe sit-at-home. Major markets have always remained empty on Mondays, despite government’s efforts to end it.

Kalu Ike, a businessman in Ahia Ohuru, said that it would take more than verbal directives to end the Monday sit-at-home in Aba.

BusinessDay check showed that the drive by Governor Peter Mbah to end the exercise in Enugu is paying off. Unlike the situation before his arrival as governor, sit-at-home in Enugu is no longer pronounced. Social and business activities go on unhindered in the city centre.

However, some businesses have decided to go low profile on Mondays.

A known transporter in the state, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told our correspondent that he stopped opening his office on Mondays, choosing to make it an extension of his weekend for personal rest.

Some indigenes and residents of Anambra State told BusinessDay that the renewed moves by Governor Soludo would likely yield the desired fruit, as according to them, the South East has lost a lot to the “civil disobedience.”

Chimezie Patrick, an Awka-based economist, noted that the sit-at-home has had a very negative impact on the economy of the people of South East and Nigeria at large.

He urged the government to fortify markets with visible and sustained security presence to reassure traders who are still traumatised by past incidents.

John Akuchukwu, a businessman at the Old Spares Market, Obosi, expressed cautious optimism. He urged the government to fortify markets with visible and sustained security presence to reassure traders still traumatised by past incidents.

“The fear of attacks is what kept this lingering,” he said.

“When the governor issued a similar directive in 2023, hoodlums invaded Mgbuka Amazu Market and abducted the chairman, Chief Francis Enibe. Till today, his whereabouts are unknown. Incidents like that created fear and forced people back indoors,” Akuchukwu added.

EBONYI

Unlike other South East states, Ebonyi has not been observing sit-at-home. But it still suffers the consequences as residents of the state intending to do business in any of the sister states would be unable to do so due to lockdown.

In Ebonyi, people move freely every Monday. Markets are open, schools function, filling stations operate, and there is both human and vehicular movement within the state. It was gathered that the only major disruption in recent years occurred on the day the judgment that led Nnamdi Kanu to prison was delivered.

“That was the day I can clearly say there was sit-at-home, especially in the rural areas. I travelled from Afikpo to Uburu that day, and there was virtually no vehicular movement. Shops were locked, and major junctions were deserted,” a resident said.

A trader, who frequently visits the International Market to restock goods, confirmed that Monday trading activities have normalised.

“Since the cancellation of the Monday sit-at-home in Anambra, I go to the market on Mondays without fear. Shops are open now. I buy what I want and return peacefully,” she said.

Similarly, Vivian Njoku, a clothing material seller, described the declaration by Anambra State Governor, against the sit-at-home order as a welcome development, though she admitted lingering fears.

“The governor’s declaration is good, but I am still afraid of travelling to Anambra to buy materials,” she said.

Across Abakaliki, capital of Ebonyi State, and other urban centres indicate that markets, schools, banks and fuel stations operate normally on Mondays, with commercial transporters plying major routes.

Residents maintain that sustained security presence and consistent government messaging have contributed to stabilising the situation in Ebonyi, allowing economic and social activities to continue uninterrupted compared to other parts of the zone.

IMO

Some residents of Owerri, Imo State capital, hinged the total end of sit-at-home on a possible unconditional release of Nnamdi Kanu.

They told BusinessDaySunday that the call for the abolition of sit-at-home would not yield the expected result as long as Kanu remained in Sokoto prison or any other custody in the country.

An Owerri resident who spoke on condition of anonymity said: “If you want to know how serious the sit-at-home is in the whole Imo State, check the number of interstate commercial transport vehicles that leave of come into the state on Mondays in comparison to what happens other days.”

ABIA

The touted IPOB’s vacation order is yet to change things in Aba, Abia State as major markets in Aba, including Ariaria International Market, Eziukwu Market, Shopping Centre and Ahia Ohuru, have remained empty on Mondays.

Although the gates of the markets are always open on Mondays, traders and buyers stay away from the markets.

Civil servants, who have not reported for duty since the Monday sit-at-home began in August 2021, continued to shun offices. Also, motor parks, commercial banks, schools are still closed on Mondays. Some residents attributed the non-compliance to the vacation order to contradictory statements from two different groups within IPOB. A group wearing IPOB clothing and displaying IPOB flags on Sunday, February 8, 2026, announced the cancellation of the long-standing Monday sit-at-home directive across the South-East.

The group made the announcement in a video that went viral, stating that all markets, schools, businesses and workplaces are to resume normal activities from Monday, February 9, 2026, without fear or intimidation. According to the group, the decision followed what it described as a direct instruction from Nnamdi Kanu, ordering the suspension of the weekly sit-at-home action. The group appealed to residents of the region to return fully to their daily routines, assuring them that it was now safe to do so.

“This decision is meant to restore normal economic, educational and social life in the region,” the speaker said in the video, urging traders to open their shops, students to return to school and workers to report to their places of duty without fear.

Reacting to the development, the IPOB distanced itself from the group.

Emma Powerful, the IPOB spokesperson, denied any knowledge of the group, describing its members as criminals allegedly recruited, by Simon Ekpa to destabilise the South-East.

“We don’t know them. IPOB does not have such people. They are criminals recruited by infiltrator Simon Ekpa,” Powerful said.

He added that IPOB completely dissociates itself from any criminal organisation involved in killings, abductions and the destruction of lives and property in the region.

Francis Ogbonna, a shoe dealer in Ariaria International Market said that IPOB has not called for the cancellation of the sit-at-home order.

According to him, “If your father is in detention, any day he is to appear in court, will you open your shop?” he queried.

Kalu Ike, a trader in Ahia Ohuru, said that it would take more than a directive to end the Monday sit-at-home order in Aba. According to him, Nnamdi Kanu is the only person that can stop the order.

Read also: The cost of silence: Reclaiming the southeast from sit-at-home disruption

ENUGU

The observance of the exercise has continued in other parts of Enugu State, but not within the capital city. This is evident in the low public transport activities, particularly those that involved interstate. The only reason is that despite the assurances of the state government, people are still afraid.

The Governor Peter Mbah administration had waged a serious war against the promoters upon its take off. Many residents have continued to obey the order on Mondays out of fear of attacks from IPOB enforcers.

Up till now, the sit-at-home on Mondays has continued to affect workers, traders, and private companies alike as people are not ready to risk the intense violence and often lethal consequences associated with the flouting of the sit-at-home.

Recall that Governor Mbah organised townhall (meetings) where he spoke directly to the people, urging them to understand the economic haemorrahage the state was suffering due to business disruptions on Mondays.

Initially, with his message of reassurance and increased security, people regained confidence, and gradually began to work on Mondays.

However, this was short-lived as the sit-at-home menace is being observed across the state, except in the capital city. The oxygen that fuels the exercise is fear- people fear for their lives, as according to them, “Onye ugbo gburu, nti chiri ya.” (Whoever that is killed by a train must have died out of deafness).

ANAMBRA

Governor Chukwuma Soludo has recently taken a decisive action, wielding the stick rather than carrots in an effort to wipe out the sit-out-home destructive exercise in Anambra.

Last Monday, his administration shut down Nkwo Nnewi Spare Parts Market for one week, following the traders’ defiance to government’s order to begin opening markets on Mondays.

That action came barely three weeks after the governor visited Onitsha Main Market and closed it for not opening on Mondays.

While the action has been commended by many Nigerians, some others expressed fears that since it appears inorganic, it may not ultimately achieve the desired result. They suggested that the lasting solution would be to solve, once and for all, the main reason that precipitated the exercise in the first place.

Anambra and Imo States have been the epicentre of the sit-at-home. Despite the war being waged by the Soludo administration and the level of compliance so far, many residents are still apprehensive and, in the wait-and-see mode.

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