…IPOB spokesperson Emma Powerful described the governor’s action as an “economic punishment”
ANAMBRA, NIGERIA- The iNews Times | The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has strongly condemned Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s decision to begin sealing shops at Onitsha Main Market due to traders’ failure to comply with his earlier directive to keep their shops closed on Monday.
In a statement to journalists, IPOB spokesperson Emma Powerful described the governor’s action as an “economic punishment” that could significantly harm local businesses.
Powerful said, “This move is deeply troubling, reckless, and authoritarian. Our leader, Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has consistently called for an end to the sit-at-home order and any violent enforcement of it by individuals or groups. That stance remains unchanged.
“The sit-at-home, where it occurs, is a voluntary expression of solidarity by ordinary citizens distressed by the continued unlawful detention of our leader. It is not a coercive policy and cannot be undone overnight through threats, intimidation, or punitive state actions.
“Governor Soludo, as an economist and self-proclaimed intellectual, should understand basic human behavior. Societal patterns and public responses do not shift instantly because a governor issues threats or moves around in a long convoy. People are not automatons; they are citizens with fears, experiences, and memories of past injustices.”
He added, “Sealing the shops of hardworking traders simply because they did not open on a particular day is not governance, it is collective punishment. Even in a basic landlord-tenant scenario, a landlord cannot lawfully lock out a tenant for failing to sleep in a house on a given day. Such action would be considered unlawful eviction. How then can a governor, who is merely a trustee of public authority, lawfully seal shops belonging to innocent citizens?
“IPOB wants to make it clear that intimidation, threats, and economic penalties will not achieve the normalcy Governor Soludo claims to seek. On the contrary, such heavy-handed tactics risk creating unnecessary tension and deepening mistrust between the government and the people.
“We strongly urge Governor Soludo to reverse this ill-advised decision immediately and unseal all affected shops. Leadership is not about threats or displays of force against one’s own citizens. It is about patience, persuasion, justice, and respect for the rights and dignity of the people.
“It is particularly disheartening that a governor of Igbo origin would adopt methods that mirror the humiliation and economic devastation our people have suffered elsewhere in Nigeria. The duty of an Igbo governor is to protect his people, not to subject them to the same instruments of intimidation used in other regions.
“IPOB remains committed to peace, lawful conduct, and a negotiated political solution. We have repeatedly warned that actions likely to provoke the people should be avoided. Those in authority must exercise restraint and wisdom, not authoritarian impulses.
“Governor Soludo should proceed cautiously and act in ways that promote healing, unity, and respect for the rule of law,” Powerful concluded.
