Residents of the five South Eastern states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo were forced off the streets on Monday as the sit-at-home order by the outlawed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) turned bloody.
The illegal directive grounded commercial activities in the states as banks, schools, shops and marketplaces were shut down.
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IPOB, on July 30, ordered sit-at-home in the South East every Monday, until its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, is released from the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS).
It threatened to shut down economic activities in the region, adding that violators of the order would be visited with violence.
Our correspondents report that despite the deployment of security operatives to safeguard lives and property, militants using the name Eastern Security Network (ESN) loyal to IPOB wreaked havoc by attacking people who defied their illegal directive to stay at home.
Some analysts believed that residents opted to stay at home not because they were in support of the excesses of IPOB but for fear of the unknown.
Trapped passenger, three buses set ablaze in Imo
A passenger was reportedly burnt alive in Nkwogu, Ahiazu Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State on Monday.
Our correspondent in Owerri, the state capital, gathered that the deceased was inside one of the three buses that were torched by a mob suspected to be IPOB members.
It was gathered that two of the vehicles – hummer buses, belonging to a popular transport company, Libra, were coming from Umuahia, Abia State capital when they ran into a group of hoodlums.
It was gathered that they shot at the tyres, which forced the buses to stop.
While the passengers of the buses scampered for safety, one of the drivers was reportedly shot on the hip even as a passenger who could not escape was killed.
Our correspondent also gathered that there was heavy shooting around Banana junction along Orlu-Owerri road as gunmen engaged security agents in a shoot-out.
Commercial activities were grounded in most parts of the state as residents were forced to observe the order.
Schools were also closed while students sitting for the NECO examination were prevented from taking their papers.
The Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Mike Abattam, did not pick his calls when our correspondent tried to reach him.
Imo State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba, told our correspondent that he was not aware of any incident in the state.
He said that the order by IPOB was completely ignored as government offices and markets were opened for business.
Emelumba said, “I am not aware of any incident as I was in Owerri. All I can tell you is that the residents heeded the plea by the government to ignore the sit-at-home order. Government offices opened for business and civil servants were all on their desks.”
Photo: Jude Owuamanam & Titus Eleweke
Two killed at bloody clash in Nnewi
At least two persons were confirmed killed yesterday in Nnewi, the industrial hub of Anambra State when security operatives clashed with hoodlums, who allegedly wanted to take advantage of the sit-at-home order by IPOB to rob unsuspecting members of the public.
Daily Trust gathered that the hoodlums converged at the popular Izuchukwu Junction, in the industrial city of Nnewi, at about 4 am and mounted roadblocks while robbing passers-by in the process.
However, two of the hoodlums were gunned down while others sustained bullet injuries when soldiers stormed the area to dislodge them.
A resident of the area, Sunday Ukachukeu, said that he was still asleep when he heard several gunshots in the early hours of Monday.
“I was still asleep in my house, which is very close to the scene of the incident when I heard several gunshots. We couldn’t come out, but at about 6 am, when we came out, we saw two bodies in the pool of their blood,” he said.
The source added that some young men in two motorcycles took the bodies away through the Igwe Orizu road.
Nnewi Police Area Command attacked
Meanwhile, suspected IPOB members attacked the Nnewi Police Area Command on the Okigwe road area of Umudim.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in Anambra, DSP Ikenga Tochukwu said that operatives successfully repelled the attackers who came in vehicles in the afternoon.
It was gathered that the gunmen came in about seven vehicles to the police station and started shooting which lasted for over one hour.
A resident in the area, who claimed that the shooting caused pandemonium amongst the residents of the Nnewi community said that the gunmen overpowered the police and carted away arms at the station.
He said by the time reinforcements from the combined team of the military arrived, the attackers had left.
Meanwhile, civil servants in the state reported to duty in line with the directive of Governor Willie Obiano who threatened salary cuts for those who absconded.
However, our reporter who visited the Anambra State Secretariat in the state capital discovered that workers only went to their offices, registered their names and immediately disappeared.
Daily Trust also gathered that the workers were calling their colleagues to come over to write their names as registers were opened for those who reported for work.
Partial compliance in Ebonyi
In Ebonyi, the sit-at-home order was partially observed in the state.
Daily Trust correspondent who went round the state observed that economic activities were mostly paralysed at the early hours of the day but began to pick up in the afternoon.
Those who were seen on duty included private shop owners, Keke (tricycle) and motorbike operators. However, major companies operating interstate transportation that opened for business recorded low patronage.
There was no court activity in the state, despite the opening of the complexes.
It was also observed that some students in the senior secondary schools in the state wrote the mathematics paper of NECO examination, which coincided with the sit-at-home order of IPOB on Monday.
However, other classes including primary schools stayed at home.
Daily Trust reliably gathered that some departments at Ebonyi State University also sat for their first semester examinations.
Commercial activities were also observed at the International Market while workers were seen at Centenary City and other places including the cabinet office which was recently occupied by federal agencies in the state.
Order observed in Aba, ignored in Umuahia
Aba, the ever-busy commercial hub of Abia State was shut down following the sit-at-home order by IPOB.
Schools, banks and marketplaces were all shut as observed by our correspondent. Motor parks were also empty.
However, the order was ignored in Umuahia, the state capital as business owners went about their normal duties but banks did not open for operation.
Meanwhile, the Abia State Government has vowed to sanction civil servants who obey the order.
In a statement issued on Monday by the Secretary to Abia State Government, Barrister Chris Ezem, the governor warned that workers who abscond from their duty posts will be appropriately sanctioned.
He added that only those who were exempted from work on account of COVID-19 protocol were to remain absent.
“The Governor of Abia State, Dr Okezie Victor Ikpeazu has directed that all civil servants must ensure they are at their place of work today (yesterday) and going forward except those exempted from work based on COVID- 19 guideline.
“The governor further directs that the head of service should ensure compliance with this directive and sanction any person that contravenes the same appropriately,” the statement read in part.
Residents need assurance from government
An activist in Owerri, Simon Emmanuel, said people were afraid to go out because of uncertainty and called on governments at all levels to guarantee their safety.
“Of course, IPOB has sympathisers because of some obvious reasons but that does not mean that the outlawed group has control over the lives of residents.
“The people need assurance that if they go out nothing will happen to them; they also want to see more security operatives with superior power on the streets.
“As we have seen today (Monday), the militants have passed a strong message by forcing people to stay at home. Our security agents should counter this narrative by tackling the miscreants and reassuring the populace,” he said.
Force headquarters silent
Attempts made to hear from the Nigerian Police authorities in Abuja proved abortive as several calls put across to the Force spokesman, Frank Mba, were rejected.
Mba has yet to reply to the text message sent to him when filing this report.
But a senior police officer at the Force Headquarters told one of our correspondents that top officials of the force were holding a strategic meeting after which some actions will be taken against the outlawed group.
‘’Top echelons in the Nigerian Police, particularly here at the headquarters are watching keenly how the events in South East were cropping up again. I can assure you that some actions will be taken against those criminals after a strategic meeting,’’ the official said.
From Jude A. Owuamanam (Owerri), Titus Eleweke (Awka), Nabob Ogbonna (Abakaliki), Linus Effiong (Umuahia) & Idowu Isamotu (Abuja)
