The Senate has declined a motion seeking the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, from detention.
Senator Osita Izunaso (Imo West) had moved the motion, which sought to address the constant sit-at-home order enforced by unknown gunmen in the South East.
In the motion co-sponsored by other lawmakers from the Southeast, Izunaso noted that the senators were aware that thousands of innocent lives had been lost since the action started and properties worth over a trillion dollars had been destroyed, resulting in investors leaving the region.
He said, “The sit-at-home civil disobedience actions in the South-East have led to the disruption or destruction of economic activities and immeasurable financial losses for businesses, workers, and the local economy. Because when people are forced to stay at home and businesses remain closed, productivity declines and income is reduced, affecting livelihoods and economic growth.
“The ‘sit-at-home’ protests disrupt the education of students, leading to missed classes and delays in academic progress. And such prolonged disruptions have long-term effects on students’ learning outcomes and educational development; Disturbed that disruption of essential public services, such as healthcare, transportation, and waste disposal, continues to have a severe impact during ‘sit-at-home’ protests, which adversely affects the well-being and safety of the general population living in the South-East.”
Recall that in August 2021, IPOB declared a sit-at-home order every Monday across the South-East to protest the continued detention of Kanu.
The separatist group, however, temporarily lifted the order, giving a respite to the people.
But the factional leader of IPOB, Simon Ekpa, has recently continued to declare sit-at-home orders in the region despite the exercise being suspended by the IPOB faction led by Kanu.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the Senate called for the repatriation of Finland-based Ekpa to Nigeria to answer for his actions.
