The south-eastern part of Africa’s most populous nation has recorded an estimated N7.6 trillion losses in four years off the back of the separatist Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)’s sit-at-home order, crippling the region’s economy and stoking insecurity.
The region, consisting of five states including Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo has been grappling with weekly Monday shutdowns over the past four years to demand IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu’s release.
The consequences of the sit-at-home order have been far-reaching for micro-businesses as they lose N4.5 trillion annually and transporters forfeit up to N13 billion daily during the protests, according to a report by consultancy firm, SBM Intelligence released on Monday.
The IPOB protest has forced students out of school as fears spread, and disrupted the education process with students missing exams and schools relocating classes to Saturdays. The protests also come with flagrant human abuses too.
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“The region has suffered immense losses, including an estimated N7.6 trillion ($4.6 billion) in economic damage and 776 fatalities. Key sectors like trade, transportation, and SMEs have been crippled, with income losses averaging 50-70%,” the research firm said in its report entitled: ‘Four Years of Disruption: Unmasking the Impact of IPOB’s Sit-at-Home Order in Southeast Nigeria’.
Samson Simon, CEO ARKK Economics and Data Limited said the IPOB sit-at-home would discourage investments coming into the region, adding that existing investments would relocate on heightened insecurity.
“With the ultimate shrinking of the region’s economy, higher unemployment, worse misery and many other socioeconomic malaise, consumer confidence would diminish and many businesses that had hitherto flourished would begin to gasp for breath.”
Beyond the demand for the release of Kanu who has been in detention of the Department of States Services (DSS) since 2021 after the government declared the group as a terrorist organisation, IPOB members want the restoration of the defunct Biafra Republic.
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According to SBM Intelligence’s 2021 survey, it found that support for IPOB’s sit-at-home protests was lowest among respondents over 50 years, registering 23.1 percent compliance, compared to 30–40 percent support in middle-aged groups.
The stark contrast in generational divide reflects how younger demographics, less burdened by memories of the Civil War, showed stronger alignment with Kanu’s secessionist agenda.
“The enduring nature of the Biafran issue, spanning several decades, suggests that deep-rooted sentiments of identity and perceived marginalisation continue to fuel the IPOB movement.”
The marginalisation agitation which fuelled the protest has been hijacked as violence incidence surged from 1,200 in 2021 to 2,500 in 2023, with 2024 seeing a shift toward kidnappings and criminal gangs exploiting separatist rhetoric.
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The report shows that Imo is the epicentre, recording 130 incidents and 332 deaths. Close to it is Anambra which saw 94 incidents and 202 deaths in four years.
The violence particularly surged threefold in 2024 with 133 incidents and 313 deaths as the proliferation of small arms and light weapons among nonstate actors in the region exacerbated the security situation.
“This sustained emergency demands urgent, coordinated action to prevent further escalation and immense human cost,” the report stated.
