By Vincent Ujumadu, Dennis Agbo, Steve Okoh and Chinonso Alozie
When the video voice notes began to circulate a fortnight ago, announcing the two -day sit- home in the South East for October 21 and 22, the leadership of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, distanced itself from it and asked residents of the region to ignore it. In fact, the trending voice notes threatened to deal with anyone who disobeyed the order. Reasons given by the voices in some of the trending videos claimed that the two days were set aside to launch the Biafra flag and the Biafra Armoured tanks. And as usual, the people of South East prepared for it by shopping for food items and other things to last them for the period.
Some people glanced through the trending videos and ignored it, just as one of those WhatsApp videos, and didn’t pay attention to it. They scrolled through it and went to the next message. Some others however paid keen attention to it and circulated the video by a non familiar face who asked everybody in the South East not to come out, but to stay indoors in their homes for their own safety.
The videos showed a display of armoured tanks with people in military uniforms and guns guarding the tanks, which the video maker said were tanks that would be launched paraded with a show of force by the “Biafra Warriors” in the two days that the south east residents were asked not to come out from their homes for their own safety. The announcer also added that the Biafra flag would be hoisted within the period.
“Now, the Nigerian Army will come for confrontation, which you guys know. Therefore, stay indoors with your family to avoid problems. The video you are watching is the trouble to come and it’s going to be terrible, horrific (sights and sounds of violence, gunshots in the video). Please help me share this video so that those who have not heard will hear….,” the skit maker said. Surprisingly, the person on the video was an unknown face, but the people still obeyed the message.
The video went viral, making both the Nnamdi Kanu and Simon Ekpa -led groups to disown the video clip and asked that it should be trashed. Yet on Monday October 21, all parts of the five South East states were shut down in compliance to the video.
Following the enormous publicity it generated, the two-day sit at home was like no other since IPOB introduced it over three years ago. There was panic in the entire region and no flights were recorded in the airports in the region. Schools, markets, government offices, banks, were shut, and intra and inter state movements were grounded.
Anambra
In Anambra State, it was even more severe because of the gunmen attack that took place at Nibo in Awka South local government area two days earlier, in which 12 people, mainly youths, were killed in a beer parlour.
Except for few police checkpoints seen on the roads, the entire streets were completely deserted.
The state secretariat was under lock , just like the petrol stations, banks, markets and schools.
Abia
Unlike the usual weekly Monday sit-at-home that is rarely observed in Umuahia, the state capital, the city was completely grounded during the two-day exercise, just like Aba, the commercial capital. Human and vehicular traffic were very limited although there were occasional movements of tricycles and vehicles.
Students and pupils, as well as teachers stayed at home as schools did not open for studies. Most private schools had before the weekend, communicated to their students and pupils that they would not open for Monday and Tuesday.
Civil servants, including staff of Government House and workers at the state secretariat stayed back home for the two days. Banks also did not open to customers while only few street shops opened for business. Petrol stations and motor parks were completely shutdown. Residents reclined in their houses obviously for fear of the unknown especially as no one wanted to claim responsibility for the sit-at-home order.
Day two of the exercise, however, did not record a total compliance in Umuahia as few foodstuff traders clustered at Isigate relief market to display their wares.
There was also partial movements of both human beings and vehicles especially towards the evening hours.
A police convoy comprising Armored Personnel Carrier, APC, and patrol vans with two Jeeps suspected to be that of the Commissioner of Police were seen patrolling some major streets in Umuahia.
There was also a security patrol in Aba where all the markets and public places were on total lockdown while the roads and streets were completely empty.
Abia State was, However, Abia was generally peaceful during the exercise as there was no incident of violence or clash between security agents and enforcers of the sit-at-home order.
Imo
In Imo State, economic activities were also grounded as vehicular and human activities came to a halt. Such popular streets like Mbari, Wethedral, Akwakuma, Amakohia, Owerri -Port Harcourt, Owerri -Aba, and Owerri-Onitsha roads were like a ghost town. Also, Bank road, as well as Orji and Douglas were deserted. Banks, supermarkets, shops, eateries were shut down and the magnificent Eku Ukwu and Relief markets were all closed. Logistics and transportation companies situated at Control Post and Egbu roads all locked their offices, as they expressed fears that they could be attacked if they disobeyed the sit-at-home order.
Enugu
In Enugu state, the residents defied the state government and police persuasion to shun the video and to go about their normal business. Instead, they remained indoors and all the roads both in the state capital and in the hinterlands were deserted.
In the metropolis, some visitors such as the members of Nigeria Institute of Town Planners, NITP, who had arrived on Sunday for their Annual General Meeting, AGM, were stranded in different locations. Their programme had a serious hitch with lack of transportation and business activities. Public and private schools at all levels were grounded. There was however no report of violence in any part of the state. Normal police check points disappeared and the New market area of the city was as silent as a graveyard.
All banks were shut down as a state government agency could not access funds to meet its obligation on Monday. All markets were deserted, making the ever-busy congested Holy Ghost area an empty arena. The Chairman of Enugu North local government council, Dr. Ibenaku Onoh was however seen with aides and an armed vigilante group, making some inspection at the roundabout of the council secretariat.
The Secretary to the State Government, Chidiebere Onyia moved round some establishments of the state government and on the receipt of the news of his tours some civil servants who could find transport were rushed to their offices. The SSG later addressed the civil servants. On Tuesday, the state government performed the handover of the electricity regulation and distribution in the state from the Enugu Electricity Distribution Commission, EEDC, to the newly established Enugu Electricity Regulatory Commission, EERC and Mainpower Electricity Distribution. On Wednesday October 23, the usual traffic congestion returned to the streets of the coal city.
Ebonyi
The two days sit-at- Home order recorded 70 percent compliance in Abakaliki, the state capital. Major supermarkets, banks, courts, eateries and markets were under lock. Also, major streets in the metropolis, like Waterworks Road, Ogoja Road, Abakaliki-Enugu Highway, Ezza Road, Afikpo Road, and others were deserted. At the Ebonyi State International market, the state secretariat, and the old Government House, only a few people were seen. The Ebonyi State government had earlier on October 18, announced a week mid-term break for public and private schools, which also brought about more compliance among residents of the state.
Chief Olisa Nwakalor, a retired Police officer, who spoke on the ugly situation, said what is happening in the South East is troubling, as inconsequential non -state actors post something in the social media and everybody obeys.
He said: ” For the two – day sit at home on Monday and Tuesday which paralyzed commercial and socio- political activities in the region, IPOB said it did not issue any order. Even Simon Ekpa who has been enjoying himself by frequently issuing orders from Finland, said he didn’t issue any order for the two -day sit -at -home. Nobody knew who ordered the sit- at- home. And while people locked themselves in their houses, few people that dared to drive out had to cough out something as policemen who mounted checkpoints extorted them as usual.
“The question is, why have Igbo people become weaklings such that even when a tricycle operator sends something in the social media, everybody starts fidgeting and shutting down their businesses?
But if the security operatives cannot provide adequate security for the people, why blame them for sitting at home out of fear once such order is given? It’s the people that are suffering and adding to the national suffering as a result of Nigeria’s bad economic challenges.
“If government wants to counter the sit- at -home, it should provide adequate security for the people. Do you know what it means to shut down the economy of a region for two days? Many people are of the opinion that the sit- at- home will end once the IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is released as it is believed that his continued incarceration is responsible for the growing insecurity in the South East.
“Maybe Nigerian leaders don’t want the South East to enjoy freedom like other parts of the country, hence the continued detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, whose release could possibly end the sit at home.”
Worried by what is happening in the region, the President General of Coalition of South East Youth Leaders, Goodluck Ibem, warned that “enough is enough”. Concerned about the identity of masterminds of the two- day sit at home, Ibem called for an end of incessant and erratic sit-at-home orders in the South East.
Ibem said: “It’s time to stop the madness whereby non-state actors dish out hurting orders with crippling effects on the economy of the region.These orders come from unknown persons through voice notes and videos and people are terrified obeying such orders to the latter. We cannot continue this as a people. This madness must stop forthwith.
“IPOB and Simon Ekpa have distanced themselves from the two -day sit-at-home order. The question now begging for answers is: Who then is behind the sit-at-home order that brought government and private businesses to a halt for two days?
“The madness of somebody waking up from sleep and making a voice note ordering people to stay indoors must stop. This is a joke taken too far.
“We urge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to please release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to end this embarrassing situation where individuals use his incarceration to inflict pain, hardship and economic stagnation in the South East zone. The release of Nnamdi Kanu is crucial to the economy and security of the zone and the nation at large. An injury to one, is an injury to all as the saying goes. When South East is bleeding, the other parts of the country are also affected in the process.”
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to release the IPOB Leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who has been in detention since his extraordinary rendition from Kenya in June 2021, for the restoration of peace and order in South East”.