The outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has strongly condemned the Anambra State Government's decision to pay civil servants' salaries on a pro-rata basis over their absence from work on Mondays as a result of illegal sit-at-home order, describing the move as a "declaration of war against the people."
In a statement issued on Sunday, IPOB's spokesman, Emma Powerful, insisted that the sit-at-home observed across Anambra State remains a peaceful, voluntary and lawful civil protest in solidarity with the group's detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
"Let it be stated clearly and without ambiguity: Anambra is not a military barracks. The people are not tenants in their own land. No governor has the lawful power to compel free citizens to open their businesses or move about against their will," Powerful said.
He described the government's decision to treat participation in the sit-at-home as misconduct as an attack on the dignity of the people.
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"The frustration in Igboland is deep. The anger is justified. The pain is historic. And the Monday sit-at-home is a token expression of that collective burden," he added.
Powerful accused the state government of targeting its own citizens in a bid to curry favour with the Federal Government.
"Instead of confronting the injustice that fuels agitation, the governor has chosen the weak and disgraceful route of harassing his own people, to be seen as 'loyal' by Abuja power brokers who have shown nothing but contempt for Igbo lives and Igbo dignity."
IPOB also warned that any attempt to deploy task forces or vigilante-style enforcement to compel residents to work on Mondays would cross a "red line."
"We do not force people to sit at home. But no government will force them to go out. The sit-at-home is voluntary. It is a choice. It is a personal and collective statement of solidarity," Powerful said.
The warning followed the Anambra State Government's announcement that, from February 2026, civil servants' salaries would be calculated based on a 24-working-day month, effectively docking pay for workers absent on Mondays.
The Commissioner for Information, Law Mefor, said the decision was reached at an end-of-tenure retreat of the Anambra State Executive Council, noting that previous security concerns no longer justified absenteeism.
"The workers were simply enjoying the sit-at-home because they knew that whether they came to work or not, they would be paid salaries," Mefor said.
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He explained that under normal civil service rules, persistent absenteeism could attract dismissal, but the government opted for a pro-rata approach instead.
According to him, continued absence on Mondays has negatively affected governance and revenue generation in the state.
"Any day civil servants fail to come to work, it means that the state government's business will stagnate and, by implication, the economy of the state will stagnate," he said.
Mefor added that the government is engaging market leaders and strengthening security measures to encourage traders and businesses to resume Monday activities.
"Do we now say we give up Monday and take Saturday as a working day? That will not work... That will mean that Anambra State has yielded to whoever introduced this sit-at-home, and that will be absurd," he said.
Despite the government's stance, IPOB maintained that the Monday sit-at-home remains a conscience-driven act of civil disobedience rooted in long-standing grievances, urging the state government to reconsider what it described as punitive measures against residents.
