Following the market Shutdown order by the Anambra State governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, pro-Biafra rallies erupted in various parts of the city today as residents in Onitsha reacted to a forced closure of the Onitsha main market.
Governor Soludo, who visited the Onitsha market yesterday, announced a one-week shutdown of the market as a consequence of the continued adherence to the Monday sit-at-home order by traders in the market.
This order has resulted in renewed pro-Biafra agitation by members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the other residents of the state. Military personnel acting on the order of the Anambra governor blocked off key access roads to the Onitsha main market, forcing traders to return to their homes.
Reacting to this, IPOB members active in the state, in collaboration with residents, organised mini rallies chanting Pro-IPOB songs and calling for the release of its detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
This is the latest attempt by the Anambra government to put an end to the voluntary sit-at-home exercise active in the state for nearly two years now. Critics believe that the move by Soludo is likely to create tension and reignite violent acts by non-state actors sympathetic to IPOB’s cause.
IPOB Leader’s Faith Hangs in the Balance
Despite the IPOB separatist group reportedly dissociating itself from the Monday Sit-At-Home order. The civil disobedience art is still heavily influenced by pro-Biafra sentiments associated with the incarceration of Nnamdi Kanu, the IPOB leader.
The Sit at home order was initially introduced to protest his continued detention before his final sentencing on November 20. The civil disobedience art has now morphed into a full-blown regional holiday adhered to by both supporters and critics of the IPOB movement.
Nnamdi Kanu, who was sentenced to life in prison by Justice James Omotosho late last year, is currently held at a correctional facility in Sokoto. Prominent Southern leaders, including the Abia state governor, Alex Otti, and the Delta North Senator, Ned Nwoko, called for a political solution to the Kanu saga, demanding his release.
Kanu, who was transferred to a correctional facility in Sokoto from the DSS headquarters in Abuja, was convicted of various charges, including terrorism and treason to the Nigerian state. The Nigerian government has said little on the matter since Kanu’s conviction. However, his legal team is eligible to appeal the decision in a higher court.
The Question of a Pardon and What Happens if it doesn’t come
Following mounting pressure from Southeast leaders and residents. The Nigerian government is faced with the dilemma of granting a pardon to the IPOB leader to settle the matter or inviting prolonged tension if it refuses.
Without a political resolution, the “Sit-at-Home” orders that have already cost the region trillions of Naira are projected to persist as a tool of civil resistance. Radicalized splinter groups may continue to exploit the vacuum, leading to further clashes between the people and state forces.
In addition to this, a continued detention fuels the long-existing sense of marginalisation prevalent in the eastern region. The life imprisonment handed down to Nnamdi Kanu, despite a clear lack of evidence, is largely perceived as an injustice to the eastern region, fueling further alienation.
The government’s current stance prioritizes “judicial sovereignty” and national security. It fears that a premature release might signal weakness and undermine executive authority. However, without a pardon, the legal stalemate is likely to blossom into a multifaceted national crisis
