•Sit-at-home costing S-East trillions of naira —Ohanaeze •Simon Ekpa’s relevance fizzle out when Kanu is released —Ezeife

By Kingsley Omonobi, Nwabueze Okonkwo & Luminous Jannamike

ABUJA—The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has distanced itself from Simon Ekpa and his supporters and declared Aloy Ejimakor persona non grata.

The movement, led by Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, debunked the claims made by Ejimakor on Arise Television on July 29, 2023, stating that Ekpa’s supporters were the same as Kanu’s followers.

IPOB spoke as the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has condemned the incessant sit-at-home in the southeast.

This is even as troops conducting operations to deter enforcement of the sit-at-home order in the South East by IPOB and ESN, on Monday successfully raided hideouts and training camps belonging to IPOB/ESN in Orsomoghu Forest spanning Anambra and Imo States.

However, former civilian governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife has expressed optimism that the moment the leader of IPoB, Nnamdi Kanu is released from detention, the relevance of the factional leader, Simon Ekpa would fizzle out completely.

He said Ekpa and his actions are currently drawing enormous attention because Kanu is still in detention, insisting that once Kanu is out, he knows how to nip Ekpa’s incessant sit-at-home orders and other activities in the bud.

IPOB disowns Simon Ekpa, Kanu’s lawyer – Ejimakor

In a statement yesterday, IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, clarified that while some misguided supporters of Ekpa were indeed followers of Kanu, the majority of Ekpa’s supporters were opponents of the IPOB mission.

“Simon Ekpa was never an IPOB member and has no alliance whatsoever with Mazi Nnamdi Kanu or IPOB,” he stated.
Ekpa, who heads his group called Autopilot and has declared himself their Prime Minister, was accused of working against IPOB’s efforts.
“He, Simon Ekpa, has not attributed the infamous sit-at-homes to IPOB even though he is hiding under the pretense of seeking for Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s release,” added Emma Powerful.
IPOB’s leadership warned against any assumption that Ekpa has any connection with Kanu and the movement.
The statement also cautioned against Ejimakor’s claims, calling them a product of “crass ignorance” and advising the public to ignore them.
The statement also made it clear that Ejimakor, who was contracted to handle specific cases for Kanu, was not the legal representative of IPOB as a movement and had no authority to speak for IPOB outside the few legal matters assigned to him.
“He has no reason to meddle in IPOB operations beyond the special legal matters that he was contracted to handle,” the statement read.
“In closing, the movement urges individuals and lawyers who engage in negotiations with politicians, businesspeople, and religious leaders on behalf of IPOB to cease such actions. They caution that if these activities persist, they will be publicly exposed.”
The public was finally urged to ignore Ejimakor’s claims made during the Arise Television interview.
“It is completely false that Simon Ekpa and his supporters are the same as followers of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” concluded Emma Powerful.

Sit-at-home costing S-East trillions’ of naira—Ohanaeze
In a statement signed by Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, president-general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the organisation said the sit-at-home has cost people of the south-east trillions of naira.

Commenting on the impact of the orders, Iwuanyanwu said people of the southeast region have suffered untold hardship, with an estimated 250 deaths, as a result of the continuous orders.

“The sit-at-home order has been instilling fear and trepidation on the good people of the southeast, making it difficult for people to come out to transact their lawful businesses on the sit-at-home days,” the statement read.
“The southeast is noted for micro, small, and medium-scale enterprises, indigenous manufacturing, fabrication, and agro-allied industries.

“To this end, several authorities have put the losses encountered by the people of the southeast at trillions of naira on each sit-at-home day.
“It is saddening to see that Simon Ekpa has announced another two weeks sit-at-home in the southeast. This is unacceptable and must not be allowed to succeed in Igboland.
“A few days ago, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, on whose behalf Ekpa claims to be working, directed the said Simon Ekpa to end all sit-at-home in the southeast and to stop antagonizing the governors of the southeast or politicians from the region.
“It is very disturbing that at a time the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide is engaging the Igbo entrepreneurs all over the world, on a think-home philosophy, a foreign-based Igbo is bent on destabilizing the home front.
“It is evident that the series of sit-at-home orders is affecting the social and economic life of the Igbo. Surely, it is not to the advantage of the Igbo.”
The president-general directed that “the sit-at-home in Igbo-land should be discountenanced. I, therefore, urge all the sons and daughters of Igbo-land to go about their lawful businesses.
“As a father, I hereby request Simon Ekpa and his group for a discussion and an opportunity to air their grievances.
“I urge the security operatives to exercise the highest degree of prudence in the discharge of their official duties to avoid further loss of innocent lives in Igboland.”

Simon Ekpa’s relevance’ll fizzle out when Kanu is released—Ezeife

Ezeife who spoke to newsmen contended that even the Mondays si-at-home was made known to Kanu while already in detention and it became impossible for him to puncture it because it was already late for him to do so and even when he denounced it from the detention, it couldn’t make much impact as Ekpa’s group had already gone haywire using all sorts of violence and seizing akara from women frying them and eating them in the name of enforcing Ekpa’s sit-at-home order.
Ezeife recalled that the late first Republic Aviation Minister, f Mbazulike Amechi, himself, and some other Igbo leaders had approached former President Muhammadu Buhari and requested him to release Kanu to them but to no avail, even when Buhari himself insisted that Kanu should face trials in court and that whatever the courts pronounced would be obeyed by the federal government.
He lamented that even now that several voices are calling for Kanu’s release, particularly since after the courts declared him innocent of all the charges preferred against him by the federal government, still the government refused to release him.
“Government’s refusal to release him even after the court declared him innocent is an indication that somebody or some people somewhere are deliberately fanning the embers of discord in the southeast region, knowing fully well that the more Kanu remains in detention, more calamities like sit-at-home, insecurity and business stagnation would continue to befall the hitherto peaceful and prosperous region”, said Ezeife.

We can’t afford Ekpa’s two-week sit-at-home order — Otti

Also yesterday, the Abia State Governor, Alex Otti said that residents of the state cannot afford to stay at home for two weeks in compliance with the directive issued by the Simon Ekpa’s faction of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.

Otti said this on Monday in Abuja, the Federal capital, on the sideline of a security meeting convened by the National Security Adviser, NSA, Nuhu Ribadu to address issues of insecurity in the South-East, which was attended by the Governors of the region.

The Abia Governor said only a handful of people were benefitting from the sit-at-home order, using the instrument of fear to intimidate the people, and as such, the government cannot sit and watch them succeed.

During the meeting, Otti and his Imo State counterpart, Hope Uzodinma were present, while the Governors of Anambra, Enugu, and Ebonyi sent their representatives.

Chief of Defense Staff, Major General Christopher Musa also attended the security meeting.

IPOB/ESN’s Ogbunigwe injures 5 Soldiers, 2 Policemen

During the raids, the combined troops of 82 Division Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police, and other security agencies arrested five fleeing members of the group and recovered one IPOB flag, one CCTV camera, 2 detonated IED bombs, and a fabricated mortar tube.

A statement by Brig Gen Onyema Nwachukwu, Director of Army Public Relations said, “Sadly, five soldiers and two Nigeria Police operatives sustained varying degrees of injuries from the IED detonated by the criminals.

“The raid operation was carried out on Monday, 31 July, 2023, when troops were alerted to the violent activities of the group enforcing two-weeks sit-at-home order in Onitsha, Nnewi, and Iheme Obosi in Anambra State, as well as New Market in Enugu State.

“During the raid operations, the troops cleared IPOB camps in Ekeututu, Orsomoghu, Lilu, and Mother Valley camps of the dissidents.

“Troops came in contact with the group’s armed fighters, who detonated Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) also known as Ogbunigwe, and fired using locally fabricated mortar tubes.

“The troops however overpowered the group in the firefight, compelling them to abandon their position as they fled with gunshot wounds into nearby bushes.

“The Nigerian Army encourages all law-abiding citizens of the South East to continue to support ongoing operations with actionable information and to disregard the unlawful 2 weeks sit-at-home order by going about their normal daily activities and businesses.

“The Nigerian Army in synergy with sister services and security agencies will undauntedly continue to protect and safeguard lives and property of the good and enterprising people of South East Nigeria, within the ambit of the law and the rules of engagement.”