The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Saturday morning said the suspension of the ‘Ghost Monday’ sit-at-home order as announced by its Head of Directorate of State was a “a direct order from the Supreme leader of this great movement Mazi Nnamdi Kanu through his lawyers.”
IPOB said that henceforth, “on the directive from our leader,” the Sit-At-Home order will now be “observed on the date of our leaders Court appearances.”
In a statement by IPOB Spokesperson, Emma Powerful, the secessionist group said it understands the “concern being expressed by the global IPOB family on the suspension of the weekly Sit-At-Home,” but stated that “all command” from its leader “will be obeyed and implemented to the latter by the Directorate of State.”
According to the statement, “we know that our people embraced this civil action wholeheartedly and without any compulsion. The leadership sincerely appreciate the innate desire of Biafrans to sacrifice their time, resources and energy in ensuring that our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is released unconditionally from the illegal custody of the Nigerian State who criminally renditioned him from Kenya to Nigeria.
“The suspension of the Sit-At-Home by the IPOB Head of Directorate of State was as a result of a direct order from the Supreme leader of this great movement Mazi Nnamdi Kanu through his lawyers.
“There is no gain saying the fact that one of the major fundamental guiding principle of IPOB is Command and Control. This simply means that all command from the Supreme leader of the Indigenous people of Biafra (IPOB) will be obeyed and implemented to the latter by the Directorate of State of the Indigenous people of Biafra. Bearing in mind, therefore that this principle has enabled this movement to surpass even the expections of both Biafrans and Non Biafrans alike, the leadership wish to encourage Biafran to focus on the most pressing issue confronting this great family presently which is ensuring the safety of our leader while still in the illegal custody of the DSS and to secure his unconditional release from detention.
“In accordance with the directive from our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, our Sit-At-Home will in the meantime be observed on the date of our leaders Court appearances.
“The lPOB leadership urge Biafrans worldwide to take note of the next court appearance of our leader which is the 21st of October 2021. If however we have any reason or directive from the IPOB hightest command that require us to reactivate the suspended Weekly Sit-At-Home, the leadership will not hesitate to lift the suspension and contniue with the our civil action.
“The leadership once more appreciate all Biafrans and our friends and sympathizers who faithfully observed the Monday August 9 Sit-At-Home which was a huge success throughout Biafra land. May God continue to bless and uphold all those committed to our struggle? The suspension of sit at home order was not done to down play the integrity and determination to pursue the aim and objective of this noble movement, please our people should bear with DOS it’s for the best interest of this great movement.
“We consider Biafra restoration as a sacrosant call to duty above all else. Any other information regarding Sit-At-Home in Biafraland not emanating from IPOB through our main channels of information dissemination should be disregarded.
“The Nigeria Government should heed now to the voice of reason coming from within Nigeria and from outside the shores of Nigeria to unconditionally free our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, and announce a date for Biafra referendum or plebiscite where our people will choose where they wish to belong before it is too late. Forcing Biafrans citizens to be in Nigeria without a referendum or plebiscite will not continue in our life time because our ancestors were not consulted during their 1914 Amalgamation by Fredrick Lugard and his girlfriend Flora Shaw.”