IPOB Sit-at-Home Violence Claims 700 Lives in Four Years

Nigeria has lost more than 700 persons to sit-at-home violence in the Southeast since 2021, according to a newly released report by SBM Intelligence.

The report, released on Monday, titled Four Years of Disruption: Unmasking the Impact of IPOB’s Sit-at-Home Order in Southeast Nigeria, found that since the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) introduced its sit-at-home order across the Southeast states, it has led to dire consequences. 

“More than 700 people have reportedly been killed in IPOB-related violence between 2021 and 2025,” the report noted.

SBM Intelligence revealed that while Imo State has seen the highest number of incidents and fatalities, Ebonyi has recorded the lowest.

It reported that the fatalities resulted from the killing of civilians who defied the weekly stay-at-home order every Monday and on other specific days, as well as from clashes between the IPOB and Nigerian security forces.

“IPOB’s enforcement tactics, including arson, looting and targeted assassinations, have created a climate of fear,” the SBM report said.

“While there was a high rate of compliance with sit-at-home orders in 2021 (82.61 per cent), surveys reveal that actual support is much lower (29 per cent) now, with many complying under duress,” it added.

IPOB is believed to operate in the five Southeastern states of Imo, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Abia.

The group uses it as leverage to protest and demand the release of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who is facing trial in the capital Abuja on terrorism charges.

The group had suspended its weekly protest following a direct order from Mr Kanu, who has been in custody since 2021, but reinstated it only on days the IPOB leader would be appearing in court.