In reactions to the return of activities in the southeast, IPOB stated it is pleased that people have chosen to ignore the intimidation by hoodlums who have been violently enforcing its halted Monday weekly sit-at-home.

IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary Emma Powerful said in a statement that the organization has been asking for the return of commercial and human activities in South East since August 9, when it discontinued the Monday weekly sit-at-home after the elders of the region pleaded to IPOB to do so.

It urged the people of the South East and Igbos, in general, to resist further intimidation and harassment by the hoodlums and return to their businesses, and told the South-East Governors to stop killing the South-East economy by dancing to the Federal Government’s tunes, adding that if they had done the needful by providing security for the people instead of chasing IPOB members and ESN operatives with their respective security agents, the illegal sit-at-home would not have happened.

The statement reads, “We the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB ably led by our leader and prophet of our time Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, wish to express our happiness that our people have decided to shun the intimidation and harassment of some hoodlums and gullible people being used by our enemies to enforce the sit-at-home we canceled since August 9, 2021.

“It will be recalled that after the August 9th sit-at-home, IPOB suspended it and ordered that the second which was to hold on August 16, and subsequent ones remained canceled but people out of fear of hoodlums who wanted to cash in on it to rob people and bring bad name to IPOB have been observing it against our numerous directives.

“We are however happy that our people have woken up from slumber and have decided to go back to their businesses and normal life and activities and shun the intimidation of the hoodlums and ready to tell them that enough is enough of their intimidation band harassment.

“We hereby order our people to arrest and if possible mob anybody that will try again to enforce the sit-at-home that is not directed by IPOB leadership henceforth, even as we prepare to enter the new year.

“We urge South-East Governors to wake up from their slumber and provide security for the people, it is their laxity and interest in pleasing the powers at Aso Rock that made the hoodlums continue to enforce the illegal sit-at-home while it lasted if they have done the needful by providing security to the people instead of dissipating their time hunting IPOB members and ESN operatives with their respective state and Federal government security men, the hoodlums would not have succeeded as they did.

“We in IPOB will be beaming our searchlight on those hoodlums being used by our enemies to enforce the illegal and suspended sit-at-home, we are equally on the trail of those criminals our enemies are using to intimidate, harass and kill our respected traditional rules. They will soon meet their waterloo. We are closing in on them.”