Abuja, Nigeria – May 2025
In a significant development for Nigeria’s South-East region, National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu has announced that the once-dreaded sit-at-home orders, enforced by separatist elements, are rapidly losing their grip. According to Ribadu, the wave of fear and compliance that once crippled social and economic life in the region is being replaced with renewed confidence and public defiance.
Speaking during the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Policy and Development Summit in Abuja, Ribadu revealed that the government’s sustained security operations have disrupted the operational capacity of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its militant wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), who were behind the weekly lockdowns.
“Today, the South-East is coming back to life. Markets are bustling, schools are reopening, transportation is running, and people are returning to normal routines,” Ribadu stated. “The sit-at-home orders are gradually becoming ineffective and irrelevant.”
He further disclosed that over 50 police facilities—stations and posts—destroyed during the height of separatist violence have been rebuilt as part of broader efforts to restore law and order. Ribadu credited President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s leadership for prioritizing national security and deploying strategic interventions across troubled regions.
The NSA also noted that the frequency of attacks on security personnel in the South-East has dropped considerably over the past six months. He stressed that government intelligence operations have neutralized or apprehended several key operatives behind the unrest, including financiers and propaganda arms.
“The success in the South-East mirrors gains being recorded in the North-East, where Boko Haram has lost considerable ground, and in the North-West, where banditry is being curtailed,” Ribadu added.
Observers say the dwindling enforcement of sit-at-home orders marks a turning point in the federal government’s fight against regional instability. Once characterized by fear and silence every Monday, many cities in the South-East—such as Enugu, Awka, and Onitsha—are now witnessing a gradual return to daily activity, with businesses daring to stay open and citizens rejecting intimidation.
Local residents and stakeholders have lauded the development but are urging the government not to relent. “There is hope now,” said Emeka Nwafor, a trader in Awka. “We want this to last. Let the government not relax because we know these people [IPOB] can regroup if allowed.”
With the tides turning, analysts suggest the government should now focus on deeper engagement, regional development, and addressing the root causes of agitation—including issues of marginalization, unemployment, and political representation—so that peace is not only restored but sustained.