Towns In South East Deserted Despite Suspension Of Sit-at-home Order

 

Some major roads in the South-East states of Anambra and Imo remained deserted on Monday while some businesses were also shut in observance of the sit-at-home despite a counter-directive from the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

Kanu, the detained IPOB leader, had last Friday through a release by IPOB, suspended the sit-at-home except on court trial days in order not to affect the economic and business lives of the South-Easterners.

Checks by SaharaReporters on Monday morning however revealed that most towns in the South-East still observed the sit-at-home as some major roads were deserted a businesses remained shut.

“Everywhere looks deserted from busy streets to major market roads. One of them is the Aba-Port-Harcourt Road in Abia State. It is quite scanty. No movement,” an observer stated.

The same was noticed along the Onitsha-Owerri Road as people deliberately chose to sit at home.

“Most filling stations are shut in Onitsha, Anambra State this morning. Orlu Road in Imo State is also deserted,” another resident told SaharaReporters.

Aba town in Abia looks like a ghost town while Nsukka in Enugu was also deserted on Monday morning.

“Some business owners and consumers sat at home not necessarily because they love to, but because they don't want to die. Even though IPOB has allowed people to come out, but what about the miscreants and hoodlums waiting for an opportunity to break into shops and loot people’s goods in the name of disobedience?” a resident queried.

SaharaReporters had on Saturday reported that IPOB explained why it suspended the weekly sit-at-home order in the South-East states which it earlier instructed.

The secessionist group had announced a total lockdown of social and economic activities every Monday starting from August 9 in the South-East region of the country.

Speaking on Radio Biafra, IPOB’s executive, Chika Edoziem, had announced the suspension of the action.

Edoziem said the sit-at-home would be declared whenever Kanu would be making appearance in court and not every Monday as earlier directed.

Reacting, the group's media and publicity secretary, Emma Powerful, had explained that the suspension was a directive from the leader, Kanu.

He said the group had taken into cognizance the concerns expressed by Biafrans all over the world over the suspension of the sit-at-home directive.

He, however, stated that should there be another directive from the group's highest command requiring a reactivation of the suspended weekly sit-at-home, there would be no hesitation to lift the suspension.

The statement reads, “The suspension of the sit-at-home by the IPOB Head of Directorate was as a result of a direct order from the leader of this great movement, Nnamdi Kanu.

“There is no gainsaying the fact that one of the major fundamental guiding principles of IPOB is command and control. This simply means that all commands from the supreme leader of IPOB will be obeyed and implemented to the latter by the Directorate of State of the Indigenous People of Biafra.

“Bearing in mind therefore that this principle has enabled this movement to surpass even the expectations of both Biafrans and non-Biafrans alike, the leadership wishes to encourage Biafran to focus on the most pressing issue confronting this great family presently which is ensuring the safety of our leader while still in the illegal custody of the DSS and to secure his unconditional release from detention. “In accordance with the directive from our leader, our sit-at-home will in the meantime be observed on the date of our leader’s court appearances.”