Hours after Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), ordered Simon Ekpa, a self-proclaimed disciple, to stop calling for sit-at-home in the South-East, the self-styled Prime Minister of “Biafra land” and the “Biafra Republic Government” who lives in Finland has asked the people to ignore the letter by the latter .
In a post on his verified Twitter account @simon_ekpa in reaction to the letter from Kanu, said: “Our attention has been drawn to the fake letter from the pit of hell being paraded by Nigeria media claiming that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu wrote a letter. It is not only a joke but an insult taking (sic) too far that the leader of the Indigenous People Of Biafra is being misrepresented in this way.
“As the Prime Minister of Biafra under the leadership of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, I call on all Biafrans to disregard the fake letter coming from DSS. We can’t take any order from the Islamic DSS and that is final. Mazi Nnamdi Kanu must be released and he must address Biafrans from Finland. That is the condition of the Prime Minister of Biafra and the Biafra Republic Government In Exile.”
In a handwritten letter dated July 24 which was read to journalists during a world press conference held in Enugu on Friday, Kanu said that he had never authorized Ekpa to call for sit-at-homes and that anyone who obeys Ekpa’s orders is no longer his disciple.
Kanu also warned Ekpa to make a public announcement to the effect that he is in receipt of a direct order from Kanu to cancel any pending sit-at-home in place at the moment.
The sit-at-home orders have been a major source of economic hardship in the South-East, as they have forced businesses to close and people to stay home. Kanu said that the sit-at-homes are no longer necessary and that they are only hurting the people of the region.
“I am calling on all my people to disregard any sit-at-home order from anyone,” Kanu said. “The only person who can call for a sit-at-home is me, and I have said that there will be no more sit-at-homes.”
Kanu’s directive was met with mixed reactions. Some respondents welcomed the call for the end of the sit-at-homes, while others say they are disappointed that Kanu has not been able to achieve his goal of agitating for the independence of Biafra through peaceful means.