ENUGU — Defying government counter orders, economic and academic implications of the sit-at-home order issued by the Indigenous People of Biafra, there is total compliance on Monday in the five states in the southeast geopolitical zone in Nigeria; Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo state.
The IPOB had issued a statement that the entire Biafra land would be shut down every Monday from 6am to 6pm until Nnamdi Kanu is released.
“We the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra IPOB led by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu wish to remind all Biafrans and friends of Biafran that the Mondays sit at home order is sacrosanct. The entire Biafra land will be locked down every Monday from August 9, 2021, until our leader, Nnamdi Kanu who was abducted in Kenya and brought back to Nigeria and locked up in DSS dungeon in clear violation of international laws is freed,”
“All markets, schools, motor parks, airports, and public places in Biafra land should shut down from morning to evening every Monday.
“There will be no movement throughout Biafra land on Mondays until our leader who is suffering for our freedom is released. This protest is peaceful but firm. Everybody is advised to stay indoors in total compliance,”
The statement is credited to IPOB’s Director of Media and Publicity, Emma Powerful on Sunday (The Punch).
West African Pilot News Enugu monitored level of compliance via phone calls to residents across the states and adjudged it to be total.
“I tried taking my children to school but decided otherwise because of how lonely the schools and roads were,” Mrs. Joyce residing in Independence Layout, Enugu said.
“No office or shop is seen open. Very few Keke (Tricycle) is seen on the road and the transport fares have skyrocketed,” Mbah reporting from Agbani Road, Enugu State.
While some stories are told by our informants in all areas in Enugu state, the same reports were gotten from a National Orientation Agency staff reporting from Onitsha North Local Government Area in Anambra State.
“There is total compliance on sit-at-home order by IPOB in Onitsha North LGA. All the major markets and street shops in Onitsha are closed. Just a few vehicles and keke are seen on the road.”
The same compliance level is witnessed in Abia state, Imo state, and Ebonyi state; banks, Government offices, schools, markets were all shut down and economic activities were crippled.
A businesswoman who resides in Rivers state revealed that no transport to Aba the commercial city of Abia state. Speaking with our reporter she said, “I usually buy things from Aba but today, when I got to Motor Park in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, I did not see any vehicle to board, and on inquiry, I was told of the sit-at-home order.”
She called on the government to look into the agitations of the Igbos and redress the issue since the order is not a one-off thing, it will surely tell on the nation at large.
Despite the order, the National Examination Council, NECO, examination for Senior School students on mathematics held today all over the states of the federation; the uncertainty of the exam holding despite the sit-at-home order for southeast states affected many students especially those from poor backgrounds whose parents do not have private means of transportation.
“I thank God that my classmates were able to make it to our exam center; many trekked while others were brought to the center by their parents but the bottom line is that we all wrote our exams although apprehensively,” Ihunanya a senior secondary school student in Enugu said.
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