The move by Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, to put an end to the sit-at-home observed in the South East every Monday has met with opposition from his supposed disciple, Simon Ekpa.
Kanu, 13 days ago, via a handwritten letter ordered the cancellation of all pending or future sit-at-home in the five eastern states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo.
In the letter, Kanu unequivocally stated that anyone, including Ekpa, enforcing any sit-at-home henceforth was no longer his disciple.
MAZI NNAMDI KANU hereby ends all Sit-At-Home by direct Order. pic.twitter.com/N9MdGuxgY1
— aloy ejimakor (@AloyEjimakor) July 28, 2023
But Ekpa described the letter as a “fake letter from the pit of hell”.
He claimed that the Department of State Services, DSS, authorities cooked up the letter and urged his followers to disregard it.
BRGIE @BiafraRGIE ANNOUNCEMENT
Our attention has been drawn to the fake letter from the pit of hell being paraded by @SaharaReporters and other Nigeria media claiming that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu wrote a letter.
It is not only a joke but an insult taking too far that the leader of the… pic.twitter.com/QiXgIuJAov— Simon Ekpa (@simon_ekpa) July 28, 2023
Ekpa, a Finnish lawyer, has been issuing letters directing sit-at-homes in the South East region in IPOB’s and Kanu’s names to demand the release of Kanu who has been detained by the DSS since 2021.
In a tweet on July 11, he announced a two-week sit-at-home that will begin on July 31 and end on August 14, 2023, noting that “if after this two weeks, and he (Kanu) is not released, we will lockdown Biafra only for the government officials for three weeks.”
However, though Ekpa warned that failure to comply with the order will attract “heavy consequences”, compliance has been minimal.
Yet, to further confirm the eradication of all forms of sit-at-home exercise in the South East, IPOB has set aside every Monday as an Economic Empowerment Day, EED, in the region.
“Economic Empowerment Day connotes a day set aside for mass mobilisation of Biafrans to devote their resources and means towards reversing the sharp and unprecedented decline in the economic, educational, and social needs of our people occasioned by the prolonged sit-at-home,” Emma Powerful, the media and publicity secretary of IPOB, said in a statement on Saturday.
Powerful explained that the EED is for “Biafrans to devote significant time to adhere to their routine calendar schedule template strictly and uninterruptedly with a view to making up for the humongous time lost to the activities of misguided enforcers of unsanctioned Monday sit-at-home order.”
“Therefore, enough is enough. It is time you consolidate efforts to rebuild our once envied eastern region – peaceful, accommodating, resilient people, illustrious, and great – and reclaim your glory among nations,” he added.
But Ekpa, who has already pronounced himself as the ‘Prime Minister of Biafra Republic Government in Exile, BRGIE’, laughed off Powerful’s statement.
He disclosed plans to “continue to crush the Nigeria economy from the Eastern region” by extending the sit-at-home exercise to Tuesday, thereby making it a two-day mandatory weekly exercise.
BRGIE @BiafraRGIE BREAKING
There is nothing like Economic empowerment in Biafra within Nigeria.
After the two weeks sit at home, we will extend the Monday sit at home till Tuesdays. This will
Be mandatory for everyone in Biafraland.
Since these criminals and corrupt…— Simon Ekpa (@simon_ekpa) August 5, 2023
Meanwhile, the debate over the authenticity of Kanu’s handwritten letter rages on though IPOB has made it clear that “anybody questioning the authenticity of the handwritten letter suspending further Monday sit-at-home is patently dishonest and not worthy to be called a Biafran.”
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