21st October 2024
The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has asked residents of South-East states to ignore the declaration of sit-at-home order for October 21 and 22 which has been circulating on social media for over two weeks.
The voice note also threatened to deal with anyone who fails to comply with the directive saying it remains sacrosanct.
IPOB, while insisting that the order did not emanate from the group is urging residents to disregard the threats and about their normal daily routine.
This development has generated panic and chaos, particularly in Anambra as some official and non-official engagements fixed for those days have been rescheduled.
It was learnt that cases coming up at the law courts on those days were rescheduled for another day while school activities were also called off.
When asked, one of the court clerks at the High Court in Onitsha(name withheld), simply told our correspondent, “We heard they have declared October 21 and 22 as a sit-at-home and that necessitated the rescheduling of every engagement on those days. It was rescheduled since last week.
READ MORE; Anambra traders shun Soludo’s order against Mondays Sit-at-home.
It was also observed that, apart from the official engagement, there was panic buying in major markets across the cities as customers were seen engaging in last-minute transactions to avoid being stranded.
A notice that read, “Announcement: Good evening Dear Parents and guardians. Based on the circulating threats from IPOB, be notified that there will be no school on Monday and Tuesday, 21st and 22nd October 2024. This is strictly for security reasons. In essence, it is a precautionary measure, was pasted in one of the schools.
“Mid-term Break begins on Wednesday, 23rd October, 2024. Therefore, students are expected to resume school on Monday, 28th October, 2024. Thanks and Remain Blessed. Signed: Management.”
The pro-Biafran group has however, urged the people to go about their normal business, saying the “illegal” sit-at-home declaration order did not emanate from IPOB, but rather from criminal elements and infiltrators, who are not members of IPOB.
In a telephone interview on Sunday, IPOB’s spokesman, Emma Powerful, said, “IPOB did not declare any sit-at-home order on October 21 and 22. The illegal order is from criminal elements and Finland-based infiltrators who are not our members.
“We urged our people to ignore the order and go about their normal business on those days. IPOB does not want to talk about it because we don’t want to create panic over the matter.
Whose order residents will obey remain to be seen considering the level of insecurity is the region. This is a clarion call on government security agencies to provide security for citizens and property against non state actors.
