The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has declared Monday, February 2 a ‘Biafra-wide’ lockdown day, in solidarity with Onitsha traders who have been locked out of their business premises on the orders of Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, as punishment for the sit-at-home protest joined every Monday by traders in Anambra State.
In a statement issued on Friday – yesterday, January 30 – by the organisation’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Comrade Emma Powerful, IPOB said that “this total shutdown across Biafraland is a direct, peaceful, and unified response to the tyrannical actions of Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo, who has shut down the Onitsha Main Market for one week—and threatened further month-long closures, revocation of land ownership, demolition, and punitive repurposing—if traders continue their legitimate observance of Monday sit-at-home in solidarity with our unjustly imprisoned leader.”
Clarifying that the strike (lockdown) is not enforcement but “a voluntary, collective expression of outrage and solidarity with the hardworking traders of Onitsha, whose livelihoods are now under direct assault by Governor Soludo,” IPOB lamented that the Anambra Governor “has chosen to act as an enforcer for anti-Biafran interests rather than a servant of his people.”
“Soludo’s closure of Africa’s largest market, coupled with his reckless threats to revoke allocations and rebuild in “public interest,” is economic warfare against Biafrans. It is designed to break the spirit of peaceful civil disobedience that has highlighted the injustice of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s continued detention despite sham proceedings,” the pro-Biafra organisation contended, recalling that the Monday sit-at-home originated as a peaceful protest demanding the unconditional release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu—”the very cause that has galvanized global attention to Biafra’s quest for self-determination.”
“Attempts to twist this into “economic sabotage” or “criminality” will fail. The markets thrived during Christmas Mondays without incident, proving that voluntary compliance stems from genuine solidarity, not fear. Soludo’s escalation only exposes his desperation to provoke confrontation at a time when Biafra’s international profile is rising and diplomatic efforts are gaining traction.
“On Monday, February 2, 2026, we call on all Biafrans—traders, transporters, banks, schools, civil servants, and every sector across Anambra, Abia, Imo, Enugu, Ebonyi, and beyond—to observe this solidarity strike peacefully. Remain indoors, refrain from all commercial and public activities, and demonstrate to the world our disciplined resolve. This is not about disruption for its own sake; it is about standing with Onitsha traders who are being punished for demanding justice, and reaffirming that no Governor can coerce free citizens into abandoning their rights or their solidarity,” the statement further read.
Assuring that the organisation remains committed to non-violence and dialogue leading to a referendum on Biafran self-determination, IPOB urged all their supporters and the entire people of Biafraland “to stay law-abiding, avoid provocations, and be vigilant against false flag operations meant to discredit our cause.”
“The world must see that Biafrans are a peaceful, mature people fighting for freedom through legitimate means—not the chaotic region Nigerian lobbyists desperately portray.
“Soludo’s war on Onitsha traders is a war on all Biafrans. This strike will send a clear message: Touch one, touch all. Our leader’s prophecy endures—Biafra’s liberation is near, and no amount of intimidation will stop it,” IPOB surmised.
