Monday Mornings in Onitsha: A City in Fear
Monday morning in Onitsha, one of the most busy commercial cities in West Africa, used to be the most chaotic day of the week. But nowadays they develop in scary silence. The familiar blue of dealers has faded – replaced by a troubling silence, as many residents of the southeast of Nigeria live in fear.
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)
The forbidden indigenous population of Biafra (IPOB), which urges the independence of the southeast of Nigeria, regularly demands protests to stay at home in order to request the release of its leader Namdi Kanu. Kanu is brought to trial for terrorism in the Nigerian capital Abuja. While the IPOB claimed that he had the stay of the Stay-AT-Zu-too-too-too-too-too-too-too-to-to-too-to-home-at home, the fear of armed groups that are known to be known attack that oppose the measure and used enforcement tactics such as arson, looting and targeted murders.
The Effects of the Stay-at-Home Order
"Montage now feel so empty," said Gift Chigo, a resident of IMO, one of the hardest affected countries in the region. "Companies are closed and business is locked up. And to be honest, we are not necessarily at home because we support the IPOB, but out of fear. It’s not about solidarity, it’s about the IPOB [protecting] us. What can we do? Nothing," she said. The IPOB was founded in 2012 by two Nigerians based in Great Britain, Namdi Kanu and Uche Mefor, and was at the head of the renewed call of an independent state of Biafra.
A Bloody History
The former governor and military officer of the eastern region, Emereka Ojukwu, had declared the late state of Biafra in the 1960s after the murder of IGBOs in Northern Nigeria. This attempt to release itself from the country ended with a bloody three-year civil war that led to the death of millions of people. The agitations still exist in groups like IPOB. In 2020, the IPOB started its armed wing with the name Eastern Security Network, which aimed to protect the IGBOS, but the residents informed that it had added more to them instead.
The Costs of the Sit-at-Home Order
Apart from the protest of SIT-AT-Home, the region is also protesting the arrangement on days that Kanu appears in court. And it not only accepted the livelihood and disrupted the economy of the region, but also led to the death of more than 700 people in the past four years. A current report by SBM Intelligence, a Think tank based in Lagos, shows that the protest to economic losses of over $4.79 billion led with key sectors such as transport, trading and micro companies.
Schools and Economy Suffer
In about 332 violent incidents, the epicenter of the protest IMO state, in which 332 people were killed, was closely followed by neighboring Anambra with 202 deaths. Many of the victims were civilians who opposed weekly order or were involved in clashes between the group and the Nigerian security forces. Public institutions such as schools and hospitals were also interrupted by the protest. "I go to class three times a week, although I teach mathematics that should be taught every day. We are seriously behind due to the order of the IPOB," King David, teacher in Owerri.
The Way Forward
Dengiyefa suggested that the Nigerian government should invest in secessionist stories, including the inclusion of local leaders. "We need a non-military security presence like the municipal police instead of just having the armed forces who often escalate tensions", which would eventually lead to a peaceful dialogue for political demands. Both analysts argued that the severity of Kanu’s prosecution could be alleviated by the transparency of the government and by fair judicial process. "People may not agree to the tactics of Namdi Kanu in the region, but its message still has a deep response. Many people see his treatment as a symbol of the way Nigeria generally treated the southeast. Change of this paradigm and the change of this perception will be critical."
