Imo residents remain indoors

There was confusion in Owerri, the Imo State capital, Monday as some people claiming to be members of the IPOB tried to enforce the sit-at-home order.

Some few persons had gone out and some shops had opened when at about 9am news filtered in that gunmen were forcing them to return home.

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Shop owners on Wethral and Douglas roads had to quickly close their stores while motorists made quick detours, almost hitting one another in the process.

Within minutes, the whole streets became deserted and many residents became stranded. Some of them were seen trekking home as there were no buses on the streets.

Earlier, a voice note had gone viral on social media warning people to observe the sit-at-home order.

Meanwhile, IPOB has denied that it sent the voice note asking people to sit at home on Monday.

The organisation said the order applied only on Wednesday when its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, would make a scheduled court appearance.

In a statement, IPOB spokesman, Emma Powerful, said, “The attention of the global movement and family of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) ably led by our great leader, Mazi Nnamdi KANU, has been drawn to a purported voice note ordering Biafrans and residents of Biafraland to sit at home on a date other than May 18. This is the handwork of Nigerian paid agents and should be totally ignored.

“IPOB is not a faceless movement and does not announce its activities through voice messages.”

The statement added that the purveyors of the message were trying so hard to create confusion in the land in their attempt to set Biafrans against themselves and scuttle the liberation struggle.