The pro-Biafran group said the clarification became necessary because of the tension and panic the rumours have generated.
The rumour of a one-week sit-at-home, starting from June 3 to June 9, purportedly declared by Simon Ekpa’s faction of the IPOB group has been making the rounds across the region for some days now.
Reacting to the development in a statement on Monday, the IPOB spokesman, Emma Powerful, said South-East residents should ignore the “rabble-rousers”, insisting there is no such thing as sit-at-home.
The statement read in part, “The leadership of the IPOB, the Directorate of State and the supreme leader of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu wish to publicly disassociate IPOB from any purported call for a one-week sit-at-home for Biafrans.
“These clarifications have become necessary because Biafrans have sent inquiries asking if the IPOB leadership has called for a sit-at-home. IPOB is not part of such irresponsible order from government-paid agents whose agenda is to ridicule the struggle to restore Biafra sovereignty.
“Therefore, Biafrans should ignore the rabble-rousers. There is no sit-at-home scheduled. The purported one-week sit-at-home jingle on social media is not from IPOB. We are not in the business of issuing irresponsible and non-existent sit-at-home orders. IPOB is a responsible movement and family. Our aims and objectives are to give peace and freedom to our people not to inflict more pain on the pains Nigeria has already inflicted on us.
“Those who came from the back door are nothing but thieves. Thieves come to rob, kill, and destroy. The agent provocateurs are on the same mission as the Federal Government and its security agents to keep
“How can we be keeping our people indoors for one week at these harsh economic times in Nigeria? Our people should start reasoning. Some Federal Government agents are trying to make the South-East unattractive for our people to return to. They have failed.”
The group noted that those piloting IPOB affairs are intellectuals who know when to apply different strategies and cannot indulge in activities that will impact negatively the people.
“Our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu cannot indulge in anything that will increase our people’s suffering. Our people should ignore the useless one-week sit-at-home order from agents claiming to be fighting for Biafra’s freedom.
“Some of the foot soldiers of these Nigerian Agents in the diaspora don’t realize that they were being used by enemies of Biafra to suffer Biafrans in order to make Biafra agitation championed by Kanu’s IPOB unattractive. But their agenda is dead on arrival.
“Therefore, the public should ignore any rumours about a one-week sit-at-home in the South-East. Those behind these devilish orders are not IPOB members, and they are not working for Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” it added.
