A total of 776 people were killed and over N7.6 trillion lost since 2021 in Nigeria’s South-east during sit-at-home enforced by the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a report has said.
IPOB is a group leading agitation for an independent state of Biafra which it wants carved out from the South-east and some parts of the South-south Nigeria.
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The report, titled ‘Four Years of Disruption’ was released by SBM Intelligence in late May.
The report chronicled how the sit-at-home initially intended to demand the release of IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, evolved into a prolonged economic and humanitarian crisis characterised by violence, fear, and collapsed livelihoods.
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“The sit-at-home protests, enforced by IPOB since 2021, have transformed from a symbolic act of dissent into a protracted crisis with devastating socioeconomic and security consequences for Southeast Nigeria.
“The region has suffered staggering losses, including N7.6 trillion in economic damage, 776 fatalities, and systemic disruptions to education, governance, and livelihoods,” the report reads in part.
‘Small and medium term business shut’
The SMB said, apart from large scale businesses, the illegal order forced micro, small, and medium-sized businesses to shut down.
It said the sit-at-home has also crippled indigenous manufacturing, fabrication, and agro-allied industries in the region, leading to “significant economic repercussions.”
“Micro-businesses have been particularly hard-hit, with annual losses reported at approximately 4.6 trillion due to the recurring sit-at-home days,” the report said.
It added that the transportation sector has been “heavily affected” with transporters losing N10 to N13 billion daily during the protests as of 2022.
The intelligence firm said the situation has deepened poverty in the South-east with 71 percent of respondents reporting income drops.
State by state cases
The SMB said, based on state by state cases, Imo and Anambra remain the worst hit by IPOB-linked violence in the South-east with 332 and 202 deaths respectively in four years.
Ebonyi, it said, has recorded the lowest number of attacks in the region within the period.
“This sustained emergency demands urgent, coordinated action to prevent further escalation and immense human cost,” it stated.
Why IPOB-linked violence increased
The SMB said although the sit-at-home was rooted in “legitimate grievances over marginalisation and the detention” of Mr Kanu, the movement was hijacked by “violence, criminality, and internal fragmentation, eroding public support and deepening instability.”
The intelligence firm said the establishment and increased involvement of the Eastern Security Network, IPOB’s militant wing, resulted in the “violent and coercive” enforcement of the illegal order.
It said the fragmentation of IPOB and the establishment of Biafra Liberation Army by a controversial Biafra agitator, Simon Ekpa, also contributed to the violence in the region.
“Additionally, the proliferation of small arms and light weapons among nonstate actors in the region exacerbated the security situation.
“The availability of these weapons facilitated more frequent and deadly attacks on both security personnel and civilians,” it said.
“These developments have exacerbated the security crisis in the region, making it a hotbed of militant activity, violence, and instability.”
Meanwhile, Mr Ekpa was recently arrested in Finland by Finnish Central Criminal Police and faces terrorism charges in Finnish court.
Solutions
The SMB said to address the IPOB-linked violence in the South-east, a combination of different measures should be adopted.
The approaches, according to the intelligence firm, are security reform, emergency funds for traders and transporters, and introduction of weekend catch-up programmes in educational institutions to mitigate learning gaps.
Others are engaging with human rights groups, international communities and Finnish authorities to stop Mr Ekpa’s inflammatory broadcasts and funding streams even if he is released from prison.
“The sit-at-home crisis is a symptom of deeper dysfunction, and a lasting solution requires addressing Igbo marginalisation through constitutional reforms, demilitarising the Southeast, and rebuilding trust between communities and the state,” it added.
Background
IPOB, in August 2021, introduced a sit-at-home order every Monday across the South-east to pressure the Nigerian government to release its detained leader, Mr Kanu, who is being tried for terrorism at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The separatist group later suspended the order, in preference for it to be implemented only on days Mr Kanu appears in court.
But despite its suspension, residents of the five South-east states – Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo, Abia and Anambra — have been observing the sit-at-home order, mostly out of fear.
IPOB had repeatedly disowned the Monday sit-at-home across the region, saying those who still enforce the order were criminals attempting to blackmail the separatist group.
But Mr Ekpa has continued to declare the sit-at-home in the region, despite being suspended by the IPOB faction led by Mr Kanu.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Kanu, the IPOB leader in late July 2023, through Aloy Ejimakor, his special counsel, ordered Mr Ekpa to stop issuing sit-at-home orders in the region.
However, Mr Ekpa described the letter as “fake,” and maintained that the illegal action would go on until Mr Kanu spoke to him directly in Finland, a North European country, where he (Ekpa) resides.
Meanwhile, PREMIUM TIMES has documented how the illegal order was destroying businesses, crippling farming and preventing residents’ access to healthcare services across the South-east.
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