The Senate on Wednesday strongly condemned the weekly ‘sit at home’ order in the South East imposed by the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

The upper chamber urged the federal government to collaborate with the Finnish government and extradite a leader of the gang, Simon Ekpa, from Finland for prosecution in Nigeria.

The Red Chamber also resolved to invite the Minister of Foreign Affairs, when appointed, and relevant stakeholders to carry out a thorough investigation and bring other sponsors of the act to book. They rejected calls to prevail on the Federal Government to obey court orders for the release of Nnamdi Kanu, the detained IPOB leader.

The resolutions were based on a motion sponsored by Senator Osita Izunaso (APC) representing Imo West senatorial district.

Senator Izunaso, in the motion titled: “Condemning the disruptive nature of ‘sit at home’ demonstration in South East Nigeria”, lamented that “thousands of lives have been lost since this act started, and properties worth over a trillion naira have been destroyed, which has resulted in investors leaving the region.”

He added that the ‘sit at home’ civil disobedience in the region has led to the disruption and destruction of economic activities, as well as immeasurable losses for businesses, workers, and the local economy, noting that “when people are forced to stay at home and businesses remain closed, productivity declines and income is reduced, thereby affecting livelihoods and economic growth.”

The lawmaker further regretted that the act disrupts the education of students, leading to missed classes and delays in academic progress, stressing that “such prolonged disruptions have long-term effects on students’ learning outcomes and educational development.”

“Disruption of essential public services such as healthcare, transportation, and waste disposal continues to have a severe impact during the ‘sit at home’ protests, which adversely affect the well-being and safety of the general population living in the South East.

“The ‘sit at home’ protests continue to lead to acts of violence and clashes with law enforcement agencies, which have led to the uncountable loss of lives of innocent people, security agents, and the protesters.

As this increases, the potential for criminal elements to take advantage of the situation to engage in looting or other unlawful activities while the people stay at home,” he lamented.

Senator Izunaso, however, warned that “if the activities of Simon Ekpa, who is issuing the illegal ‘sit at home’ orders, are not checked, he may succeed in corrupting the minds of Nigerian youths and turning them against the government, which is tantamount to a treasonable felony.”

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Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (APGA-Abia) said the “sit at home” phenomenon has been taken over by criminals and is now used to maim people, kill police officers, loot, and carry out vandalism of properties in the region.

He revealed that his interface with Nnamdi Kanu had revealed that Kanu had told him that he never authorised ‘sit at home’ on Mondays in the South-East and stated that Simon Ekpa was responsible for the disruptions.

Senator Orji Uzor-Kalu (APC-Abia) thanked the mover of the motion and said the military has done well. He urged the South-East governors to drive the solution to the problem and emphasised that over N7 trillion has been lost as a result of the sit-at-home order, with criminals hijacking trucks and trailers on the highways.

Senator Kenneth Emeka (APC-Ebonyi) expressed concern over the situation and stated that people were being kept at home in the South-East.

However, the Senate rejected pleas for a political solution to the case of detained IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, currently in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS), especially the withdrawal of all cases against him pending in courts.

Speaking with journalists after plenary, Senator Izunaso insisted that a political approach remains the best way to handle the case, saying that the ‘sit at home’ protests and destruction of lives and properties by enforcers of the orders in the South East would stop with Kanu’s release.