By Williams Anuku Abuja
Commerial and social activities has been halted in Enugu state following the sit at home directive declared by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Monday.
Recall that IPOB had announced the sit-at-home order as a means to push for the release of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, currently under detention in a Department of State Services DSS facility.
The IPOB leader who holds a British passport is currently facing treason related charges in Abuja.
This comes inspite of Kanu’s brother, Kanunta Kanu suspending the sit-at-home order on Sunday, hinging it on the need to allow students in the Southeast participate in the National Examination Council, NECO, examination for senior secondary schools.
He had also hinted that a new date for the protest would be communicated later.
This was however countered by IPOB’s spokesman, Emma Powerful who advised South Easterners to disregard the remark by Kanunta warning them against flouting the directive.
In Enugu, observations by our correspondent found some citizens who managed to come out expressing fears and confusion.
They lamented that the sit at home order may have paralyzed commercial and business activities for the day, just as security operatives were seen in major roads in the metropolis.
Our correspondent reports that schools and offices were shut down while markets and major streets were scanty as only few residents and private vehicles were seen on the road.
Checks revealed that only few keke riders and commercial buses were seen plying some lonely areas in the metropolis while some residents that came out were stranded as they quickly ran back home for fear of witnessing any attack.
A trader in Ogbette market, Okechukwu Eze told DAYBREAK that though he came out on Monday morning for business, he couldn’t open his shop because shops and banks in the market area were under lock and key.
According to him “ Yesterday evening I was told that the sit at home order has been suspended but when I came out this morning, I couldn’t get bus to my shop, but as I was about going back home I saw one of my neigbour who dropped me in the market but unfortunately, only few traders were in the market and we are scared of opening our shops for fear of attack.
“This is a disturbing situation, government must do something fast about this sit at home order because we can’t continue like this, if I don’t sell in my shop, how do I get money to feed my family, we are suffering , loosing money and customers so government should come to our aid.
Also, a primary school teacher, Mrs Nneka Igwe told our correspondent that though there was no announcement from the school management to shut down school today but “ I didn’t go to school because there is tension in my area as people are not ready to risk their lives following the IPOB warning.
“We even heard that some people are burning tires in Emene area which is close to my area because I live in Abakpa, so with all these no school management should expect us to come to school today because the town is not safe. Even some parents that called me this morning to find out the situation in our school, I told them to stay home with their kids because I don’t think the school will open,” she said.
A banker who spoke on condition of anonymity told our correspondent that she got message on sunday evening from her Operation Manager to come to work on Monday (today) “but unfortunately as I was getting ready to leave the house around 7am, I received another message that today’s work has been suspended due to the sit at home order by IPOB”
“I can’t still understand why the government will allow IPOB to continue to keep people in the house, this sit at home order will only add to our hardship in this country,” she lamented
