By Emma Ogbuehi
In apparent reaction to the growing public concern over its earlier sit-at-home order in the South East states scheduled for every Monday, the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) has suspended the weekly exercise.
Spokesperson of the group, Emma Powerful, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday. IPOB had declared a weekly sit-at-home exercise to protest the arrest and detention of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu by the Federal Government.
The exercise, which commenced on Monday, August 9, was trailed by loss of lives, property as well as huge financial and economic implications for the region.
Of particular concern to the indigenes and residents of the zone was the National Examination Council (NECO) examinations which students from the area were denied participation with their counterparts in other parts of the country that day.
The group said the suspension of the exercise is due to a direct order from Kanu to that effect.
It explained: “The leadership of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) understands the concern being expressed by the global IPOB family on the suspension of the weekly Sit-At-Home earlier announced by the IPOB Head of Directorate of State of the Indigenous people of Biafra.
“We know that our people embraced this civil action wholeheartedly and without any compulsion.
“The leadership sincerely appreciates the innate desire of Biafrans to sacrifice their time, resources and energy in ensuring that our leader Onyendu 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 was as a result of a direct order from the leader of this great movement Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.