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The proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has suspended its weekly sit-at-home order for the 2023 general elections.

In a statement on Thursday by its spokesman, Emma Powerful, the group said for the election, it would not issue any sit-at-home order.

The statement reads: “IPOB led by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has never forcefully obstructed the election process in Nigeria. Instead, we once called Biafrans to boycott elections, which was later called off.

“We have maintained that we aren’t interested in the Nigeria shambolic political selection process called Nigeria elections scheduled for February 2023. Our interest and focus is the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and the date for the Biafra referendum for Biafrans to determine their political future in or outside Nigeria.

“We knew that this mushroom group called PANPIEC is among those sponsoring this fake group claiming that they are IPOB issuing and enforcing reckless sit at homes in the East.

“If they are not their sponsors, why do they keep linking the paid agents of confusion with us even as IPOB has publicly denounced any link with Simon Ekpa and his collaborators?
“It’s on record and public domain that IPOB has not called for any sit-at-home during the February elections.

It’s also obvious that IPOB and ESN do not have any faction or splinter groups. IPOB remains peaceful and indivisible under one command for the liberation of the Biafra Nation from the Republic called Nigeria.

“We reiterate for the records that, IPOB has not, did not, and will not issue any sit-at-.home order in February during the elections period. We also did not call for any boycott of the upcoming elections yet.

“The focus of IPOB is the release from illegal detention of our Leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, whom the Appeal Court and other courts have discharged and acquitted since the 13th of October 2022, and the Biafra referendum date.”

On Thursday, University of Benin students and some soldiers got into a fight on the school’s grounds over a cash withdrawal from an ATM used by the bank.

The soldiers’ alleged attempts to cut in front of the students who had been waiting patiently in line for their turn reportedly set off the trouble.

A source claimed that the students were upset with the S&T Barracks soldiers since they had oppressively done the same thing on Wednesday.

The source stated, “On Wednesday they came here and harassed the students. They even asked the students who challenged them to lie on the ground. But today (Thursday) when they came again and wanted to do the same thing, the student resisted.”

While confrontations broke out between the students and the soldiers, the institution’s chief security officer stepped in and was allegedly beaten by the soldiers.

The situation got the students aggrieved and blocked vehicular movement on routes to and fro the school which resulted in a gridlock.

It took the intervention of some spirited Nigerians and the Divisional Police Officer Ugbowo Division to appease the irate students to allow vehicular movements around the axis.

When contacted, the state deputy police spokesman, ASP Jennifer Iwegbu, said that calm had returned to the neighborhood following multiple appeals to the students, who had been demanding that a colleague’s broken phone be fixed.

The Vice Chancellor of the School, Prof. Lilian Salami, issued a statement on Friday calling for calm and describing the situation as regrettable.

The statement reads, “The unfortunate incident of the clash between some students of our university and soldiers on Thursday 2nd February,  resulting from alleged resistance of students to the soldiers’ attempt to jump ATM queue on campus has been brought under control and the management of the University is in discussions with the hierarchy of the S&T for amicable resolution.

“The management acknowledges that these are challenging times for everyone and enjoins all to remain calm while efforts are being made to avert a re-occurrence.

“Management also calls on the students to constantly engage dialogue in resolving issues that concern them rather than taking to protests, at any provocation, thereby causing more injury and damage to themselves and other citizens,” the statement added.