Residents of Ebonyi State on Tuesday ran for dear lives when gunmen suspected to be members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) invaded some areas in Abakaliki metropolis.
Markets, banks and filling stations including schools which opened earlier in the day closed down as sounds of gunshots were heard from some parts of Abakaliki, the state capital.
The gunmen shot into the air at Haraca along the Abakaliki-Enugu highway and Ishieke in Ebonyi Local government area of the state.
The action of the group was said to be part of the enforcement of the five-day sit-at-home order declared in the region.
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The order was made by Friday Ekpa, assumed leader of IPOB although based in Finland.
Ekpa was canvassing for the release of IPOB leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu who is on trial based on allegations against him by the federal government.
The situation paralysed all activities in Abakaliki and its environs.
Daily Trust learnt that there was total compliance in Enugu State and in other states in the South East.
The order for the sit-at-home which started on Monday is expected to end on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Police Command in Ebonyi has said no life was lost in the state following the seven-day sit-at-home order by a faction of the proscribed IPOB.
Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Command, SP Onome Onovwakpoyeya, made this assertion in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abakaliki.
Onovwakpoyeya explained that the group were only shooting sporadically at some locations to scare people away in a bid to enforce the sit-at-home order.
“Yes, the group came and shot sporadically at the new market opposite Liberation Estate and our tactical team responded quickly and people cleared. There was no casualty. Nobody sustained injury either on the part of the civilians or the police. The police have intensified patrol within the town and even at the hinterlands,” she added.
She further stated, “On the report that a police van was burnt, the news is not true.
