(Biafra Flag. Photo by The Guardian Nigerain News)
The Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) has announced a sit-at-home lockdown across the entire South East region on May 30, 2026, to mark the 59th anniversary of the declaration of Biafra by the late General Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu on May 30, 1967.
The directive, issued by MASSOB’s National Director of Information Samuel Edeson on behalf of the group’s leader Comrade Uchenna Madu, calls for the closure of all markets, schools, banks, motor parks, and other public and private business premises from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. on that day.
The group described the exercise as a solemn occasion for reflection and a mark of honor to those who lost their lives during the three-year Biafra war.
MASSOB also used the announcement to call on the federal government to release the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, from detention, expressing solidarity with him and describing his imprisonment as unjust.
While declaring the sit-at-home mandatory in principle, the group clarified that no one would be physically forced, intimidated, or pressured into complying, and that there would be no street protests, marches, or public gatherings on the day.
MASSOB said its members would peacefully observe the day from their homes.
The group also acknowledged the likelihood of a heavy security presence across major cities in the South East on the day, but dismissed it as a sign of the government’s fear of the Biafran self-determination movement, reaffirming that no amount of force or intimidation would extinguish the spirit of the struggle.