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The Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams, has sent a strong warning to the factional leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Simon Ekpa, over the planned sit-at-home protest in Lagos State.
This comes following Ekpa's signal in a tweet on Wednesday, July 12, 2023, suggesting that the outlawed group was planning to replicate the protest in the nation's commercial capital.
Reacting to Ekpa's plan to import the measure to Lagos, Gani Adams, in an interview with The Tribune, said such an attempt will be met with strong resistance, adding that the Southwest region is not the Biafra Republic.
The Aare Ona Kakanfo also cautioned the self-appointed IPOB leader, who is based in Finland, to desist from treading a similar path that led to the Civil War and drop the move which he described as counterproductive.
He said, “He should not try that. The South West is not Biafra Republic. Any attempt to impose the Biafra Republic agenda will be resisted. He should desist from repeating the mistake of the 1970s. He should be very, very careful.
“They are entitled to their opinion, but South West is not their Biafran region. He should be very, very careful.
“He should not come and impose his agenda on the South West. It is uncalled for, it is unwarranted. Although I don’t know him and I have not spoken to him, he should not bring unnecessary tension to Yorubaland. We will not accept that.”
What you should know about the sit-at-home protest
The sit-at-home measure is a form of civil disobedience introduced by the IPOB two years ago to press for the release of its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, who is being held in the Department of State (DSS) custody.
But, armed men and other groups claiming allegiance to IPOB usually throng the streets across the five states of the Southeast region every Monday to ensure that residents comply with the order.
According to the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Benjamin Kalu, enforcement of the order, which usually cripples economic and social activities in the region every Monday, has cost the Southeast about ₦4 trillion in two years.