Abstract
The Independent Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) is a separatist group based in the southeast, which is agitating for secession and an independent state of Biafra from the larger Nigerian state. The Nigerian government in January 2017, through a Federal High in Abuja, proscribed the group and profiled it as a terrorist organization. In June 2021, the leader of the group, Nnamdi Kanu, who had fled the country was rearrested in Kenya and subsequently brought back to Nigeria to stand trial much to the chagrin of his supporters and followers. In August 2021, the group announced and began the enforcement of the sit-at-home order on every Monday across the entire southeast region in a bid to pressure the Federal Government to release its detained leader. The group has adopted several strategies to enforce the order in the region including the use of force, arson, killings and kidnappings. Consequently, the southeast region has become overwhelmed by a climate of fear such that people no longer go about their businesses with confidence. Every Monday in the southeast has become an unofficial holiday because business and other social activities usually come to a halt in the region. Thus, the continued observance of the Sit-at-home order has had significant impact on the economy of the southeast region of Nigeria. Since the introduction of the order by IPOB, economic activities in the southeast and by extension other parts of Nigeria have experienced serious hiccups and heightened insecurity. Businesses are rapidly closing down while others are relocating away from the region. The order has equally impacted on social infrastructure as well as foreign direct investment and the region is witnessing massive capital flight. The essence of this study, therefore, is to assess the impact of the sit-at-home order by IPOB on the economy of the southeast from the period it was introduced to date. The study covers the five core southeast states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo. Data for the study were collected through primary and secondary sources. The primary data was collected through administration of questionnaires and key informant interviews with respondents; while the secondary data were generated through journal articles and internet sources. The primary data were analyzed using simple statistical tables and charts while the secondary data were subjected to content analysis. The study relied on the theory of frustration aggression as its analytical framework. The study found that IPOB's sit-at-home order has significant negative impact on the economy of the southeast; that the order also has negative impact on foreign direct investment in the region. Consequently, the study recommends that government should be more proactive in ensuring security of lives and property in the region; government should dialogue with the leadership of IPOB with a view to granting general amnesty to its members and begin a process of demobilization, reconstruction and rehabilitation of members of IPOB.