Simon Ekpa, who leads a faction of IPOB, has been declaring sit-at-home in the region, which he said was mainly to demand the release of Mr Kanu.
Ifeanyi Ejiofor, counsel to Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has confirmed that the IPOB leader indeed declared an end to the controversial sit-at-home in the South-east.
PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that Aloy Ejimakor, special counsel to Mr Kanu, disclosed that the IPOB leader ordered a pro-Biafran agitator, Simon Ekpa, to stop issuing sit-at-home orders in the region.
Mr Ejimakor, on his verified Twitter handle on Friday, posted copies of Mr Kanu's handwritten letter to Mr Ekpa, whom he also instructed to stop antagonising governors and other political leaders in the region.
Mr Ekpa, based in Finland, has been declaring sit-at-home in the region, which he said was mainly to demand the release of the IPOB leader.
After Mr Ejimakor made the letter from Mr Kanu public, Mr Ekpa described it as "fake," claiming it was written by authorities of the State Security Service (SSS) and not the IPOB leader.
He said attributing the letter to Mr Kanu was a "joke" and an "insult".
"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 the SSS. We can't take any order from the Islamic SSS, and that is final," Mr Ekpa wrote on his verified Twitter handle on Friday night.
"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 Republican Government in Exile," he stated.
More confirmation
But in a statement on Saturday, Mr Ejiofor restated that the IPOB leader directed that the sit-at-home in the region "must be stopped."
"To this end, we urge all Ezigbo Umu Chineke and, indeed, the members of the public to respect and carry out the wishes of Onyendu and, accordingly, desist from any further engagement with those whose primary intention is to ensure that Onyendu is kept in perpetual captivity, and consequently, destroy the entire South-east through unauthorised sit-at-home and its enforcement," he said.
The lawyer said those enforcing the order in the region had "failed woefully", adding that they would be soon prosecuted for their actions.
"Onyendu" is a name used to refer to Mr Kanu. It is an Igbo expression which means "the leader."
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The expression "Ezigbo Umu Chineke" is often used for the Igbos in the South-east and some parts of South-south Nigeria.
The expression means "good children of God."
Kanu finally undergoes medical examination
Mr Ejiofor also announced that Mr Kanu had finally undergone his medical examination in an unnamed hospital in Abuja.
"...We are pleased to inform you that Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu met with his choice personal physician yesterday (Friday) in a hospital in Abuja, outside the facility of the State Security Service (SSS)," he said.
"As part of the protocol, I witnessed the consultation. The medical examination was seamless and productive, and he (Kanu) will be progressing to the next stage soon," the lawyer added.
Mr Kanu, facing a terrorism trial at the Federal High Court Abuja, has been in detention at the SSS facility since he was rearrested in June 2021.
