As some people in the Southeast region stayed at home on Monday, September 13, 2021 for fear being attacked by hoodlums, the Indigenous People Of Biafra, (IPOB), led by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has that said that Tuesday, September 14 sit-at-home is sacrosanct.
IPOB’s spokesperson, Emma Powerful ,declared in a statement on Monday that Tuesday’s Sit-At-Home will be “in to honour of victims of military raid of the country home of its leader which occurred on September 14, 2017”.
According to Mr Powerful: “the global movement of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) wishes to remind all Biafrans, friends of Biafra and lovers of Biafra freedom across the globe that the sit-at-home order issued by the IPOB leadership to be observed tomorrow, Tuesday, 14th of September 2021 is sacrosanct.
“The peaceful protest is for the remembrance of the victims of the genocidal invasion of our Leader’s compound at Afaraukwu Ibeku Umuahia on the 14th of September 2017. No fewer than 28 innocent Biafrans were killed that day by the Nigerian Army during the raid”.
The IPOB there advised all its members and followers both to stay indoors on Tuesday as a mark of honour to these fallen heroes and heroines, even as the body remarked that “we must not fail to remember the supreme sacrifices of these great freedom seekers and that nothing done to honour them should be considered too much because they have watered the tree of Biafra freedom with their blood”.
Similarly, Mr Powerful, added that IPOB’s leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has also made a lot of sacrifice for the restoration of Biafra, stressing “so, all of us must be prepared to play our roles to accomplish this great task. Biafra Independence is a mandate that we must live to accomplish”.
IPOB, through Mr Powerful, requested members and sympathisers of Biafrans not to be deterred by the killings of Biafra agitators by suspected Nigeria security agents.
Meanwhile, Monday’s sit-at-home partially succeeded in the Southeast as office, markets, motor parks etc were half empty, while roads and business premises were closed.
In Imo Sttate, our Reporter disclosed that citizens of Owerri, Orlu and Okigwe did not observe the order. According to him, for the first time in the weekly compliance of the IPOB “sit at home order” in the Southeast, residents of Imo State on Monday made a volte face and carried out their usual daily business activities without staying indoors.
While vehicles flooded the roads, businesses, fast-food centres, artisans, street/road side traders, super markets and mobile food vendors operated freely.
Although businesses at the major markets were not at its peak, a reasonable percentage of buying and selling went on in virtually all the local government areas of the state just as Okada riders ferried passengers to their various destinations unhindered.
In Owerri, the state capital, Wetheral, Douglas, Tetlow, Onitsha, Port Harcourt, Okigwe, Mbaise, Aba and Orlu roads were saturated with vehicles, even as intra-city bus services by the “BusImo Drivers” were available for commuters.
However, some fear stricken sensitive institutions such as banks public and private schools apprehensive of possible invasion by hoodlums and miscreants still remained adamant and refused to throw their doors open for customers, students and pupils.
The hospitality industry heaved a sigh of relief with guests seen trooping to various joints to enjoy themselves.
Uche Nwosu is a two time Shell Petroleum PLC award winner in the year 2000;
He won the Shell Award on Investigative Journalism and Environmental Cleanliness.
