LAGOS, NIGERIA — Simon Ekpa, a factional leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has stirred the political waters with an announcement of plans for a sit-at-home protest in Lagos.
The demonstration is aimed at demanding the release of IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
In a late-night tweet on Wednesday, July 12, 2023, Ekpa stated, “Biafrans in Lagos should get ready to be part of the demand to release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. We are coming to Lagos after the 2 week-long sit at home.”
BRGIE @BiafraRGIE update
Biafrans in Lagos should get ready to be part of the demand to release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. We are coming to Lagos after the 2 week-long sit at home. It is time to show your solidarity to this call for justice. Biafrans in Lagos will lockdown. The…— Simon Ekpa (@simon_ekpa) July 12, 2023
The proposed Lagos protest is an extension of a two-week sit-at-home action that Ekpa announced for the South East. He underlined that this is a call for justice, as Kanu “remains illegally detained at the DSS dungeon.”
“Following the demand by the Biafra people for more sit-at-home civil disobedience, the Biafra Republic Government In-Exile (BRGIE) and Biafra De Facto Government In Homeland wish to notify Biafrans that there will be a sit-at-home civil disobedience starting from 31 July, 2023 to 14 August, 2023,” Ekpa declared.
In Ekpa’s view, these protests are not only about Kanu’s release but are also in preparation for “Biafra’s self-referendum” and a step towards invalidating “the illegitimacy of those who parade themselves as Nigeria’s representatives within Biafran territory.”
The announcement of the planned sit-at-home protest in Lagos came after a private meeting among South East political leaders.
These leaders are seeking an audience with President Bola Tinubu to address the escalating security situation in the region.
The demand for Kanu’s release and the call for a sit-at-home protest have added a new dimension to the Biafran crisis, further complicating the already fraught political dynamics of the region.
How this proposed action in Lagos will unfold—and its potential consequences—remain to be seen.
