Simon Ekpa, a self-proclaimed disciple of Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has responded to a statement made by Peter Obi regarding the sit-at-home directive in the southeast region.
The proscribed separatist group had introduced a sit-at-home order to demand the release of Kanu, who is currently in detention by the Department of State Services (DSS).
Ekpa, who declared a total lockdown in the southeast geopolitical zone from July 3 to 10, instructing members of IPOB to halt business activities and prevent the populace from carrying out their daily work, has now rebuked Obi’s remarks.
In a statement released on Thursday, Obi, who was the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the previous elections, described the sit-at-home directive as the work of a criminal enterprise. He pointed out that IPOB had “publicly denied issuing such a directive.”
Obi further expressed concern over the continuous disruption of business and social activities in the South East, attributing it to the Sit-at-Home directive allegedly coming from IPOB. He emphasized the need to address this criminal activity with the collective efforts of both security agencies and the people.
Responding shortly after Obi’s statement, Ekpa took to Twitter and accused the former governor of Anambra of becoming the spokesperson for the separatist group.
As per the 2023 Global Terrorism Index (GTI) ranking, published in March 2023, IPOB was listed as the 10th deadliest terror group globally, having recorded 40 attacks and 57 deaths in 2022.