The precarious security situation in the southeast of Nigeria: The Monday Sit-at-Home Phenomenon

Abstract

The Monday sit-at-home order has become a normal phenomenon in the southeast of Nigeria. It has assumed a quasi institutionalized mode of existence which has gone beyond the control of the originators; the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). The worrisome aspect of this is that the state governments in the region appeared to be overwhelmed by the order and could not stop it. The armed forces seem to be ineffective in curbing the continuing enforcement of the order. This has precipitated untold hardships with very devastating consequences. This paper investigated the factors responsible for the continuing existence of the weekly Monday sit at home order in the southeast of Nigeria. The rational choice theory was used as the theoretical framework while the paper adopted the mixed methods research design. A sample size of four hundred study participants drawn from the southeast of Nigeria using the Yamane’s sample size determination formula was used for administration of the questionnaire. Eight (8) opinion leaders were purposively selected from the region. It was found that at the root of the continuing existence of the Monday sit- at- home order was the fear of the unknown. People who dared to defy the order in the past did not leave pleasant memories behind. Many were killed; some of them were maimed for live while properties with enormous worth were destroyed. The paper recommended among others that the government at the state and at the federal levels should work together towards finding a lasting solution to the crisis in the region by dialoguing with the key actors in the crisis.