A new report by SBM Intelligence has revealed that more than 700 people have died in Nigeria’s southeast over the past four years due to violence linked to sit-at-home orders enforced by the banned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The separatist group, which is pushing for the secession of the southeast—a region largely inhabited by the Igbo ethnic group—was declared a terrorist organisation by the Nigerian government. Since August 2021, IPOB has used the sit-at-home directive as a tool to demand the release of its detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who is currently facing terrorism charges in Abuja.
According to the report, the fatalities stemmed from the killing of civilians who defied the orders, as well as clashes between IPOB factions and Nigerian security forces.
“IPOB’s enforcement tactics, including arson, looting and targeted assassinations, have created a climate of fear,” SBM stated. The report added that while compliance was high in 2021—at over 82%—support has since dropped to just 29%, with many residents now participating out of fear rather than belief in the cause.
An IPOB spokesperson denied the group’s involvement in the killings, alleging that “criminals and kidnappers recruited by the government” were behind the violence, a claim the Nigerian government has not publicly responded to.
Though IPOB officially suspended the weekly protests shortly after their launch, following a reported directive from Kanu, armed factions and splinter groups continue to enforce them violently, attacking government institutions and perceived loyalists.
The economic cost has also been devastating. SBM Intelligence estimates that the repeated shutdowns of commercial activity, every Monday and during Kanu’s court appearances, have cost the region over ₦7.6 trillion (approx. $4.79 billion) in losses.
Despite IPOB’s disavowals, police have blamed the group for numerous attacks, including a 2021 prison break and the murder of over 30 travellers earlier this month—both of which IPOB has denied responsibility for.
The crisis echoes the deep scars left by the Nigerian Civil War (1967–1970), which erupted following a previous Biafran secession attempt and claimed over 1 million lives.
