The long-standing “sit-at-home” protests in Southeast Nigeria are reportedly easing, following strategic moves by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.

Analysts, however, caution that the credit for the decline may not entirely belong to visible state actions, highlighting a dynamic reminiscent of the Igbo idiom: “Nwoke nusia ogu, nwanyi enwelu akuko” — meaning, when a man finishes a war, the woman takes over the role of telling the story.

For context, the sit-at-home directive, largely enforced by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), disrupted economic and social activities across cities such as Onitsha, Nnewi, and Aba for years.

Markets and schools routinely shut down on Mondays, causing severe financial losses and heightened tension between residents and separatist operatives. Security analysts argue that the turning point came with Tinubu’s appointment of a new leadership team at the Department of State Services (DSS).

The move reportedly strengthened intelligence gathering and enabled targeted operations against enforcers of the sit-at-home order.

Rather than relying solely on public crackdowns or military deployments, the DSS reportedly dismantled operational networks, disrupted funding channels, and reduced the capacity of separatist groups to enforce shutdowns.

In Anambra State, Governor Chukwuma Soludo has become the public face of the crackdown. Over the past three weeks, Soludo has toured markets and schools, actively reopening commercial hubs and schools, and shutting down two major markets — Onitsha Main Market and the New Auto Spare Parts Market in Nnewi — to underline his administration’s commitment to ending the Monday sit-at-home.

Traders and residents have applauded the governor’s efforts, praising the move as a necessary step to restore economic activity in the zone. Social scientists, historians, and other experts note the phenomenon of cause and effect. While Soludo’s visible actions have earned public recognition, analysts insist that the decline of the sit-at-home order was primarily enabled by the intelligence-driven strategy of the DSS.

In other words, the groundwork laid at the federal level made it possible for state-level enforcement to succeed. The DSS strategy weakened the influence of non-state actors and created an environment in which government authorities could assert control without escalating violence,” a security analyst explained.

Despite the progress, sporadic attempts to enforce the sit-at-home directive persist in some communities, and underlying political grievances remain unresolved.

Nevertheless, the combination of Tinubu’s federal-level reforms and Soludo’s visible state-level enforcement is being hailed as a turning point in restoring normalcy and economic activity in Southeast Nigeria.