Politics
By Anthony Isibor.
DESPITE the announcement that the ‘’Sit-at-Home” every Monday by IPOB in the South East has been suspended, the entire geo-political zone was again shut down on Monday, September 06, 2021 making it the fifth consecutive week.
Although some state governors in South East have severally directed the people of the zone to ignore the order and go about their business, these directives have not been adhered to for fear of their safety.
Reports from various states in the South East on Monday showed that markets, shops, and offices remained closed and streets were virtually empty too.
In Enugu State, Everydaynews reports that a trailer loaded with motorcycle spare parts was set ablaze by unknown persons believed to be enforcing the IPOB sit-at-home order. The incident happened at Eluagu Obukpa, in Nsukka local government area of Enugu State around 7am on Monday. It was alleged that the arsonists in a Sienna vehicle double-crossed the trailer and forced it to stop before setting it ablaze.
Asked if the people were members of IPOB, an eyewitness told Everydaynews that “I don’t know if they’re because they were not wearing anything depicting them as members of the group, but they were shouting, ‘no movement today, you must sit-at-home’.
“I don’t know how, but the driver escaped and nobody was killed,” the eyewitness who identified himself as Onuh, said.
He said that men of Enugu Fire Service raced to the scene to salvage the situation, but they couldn’t get there on time as the goods estimated worth millions of naira were burnt.
Daniel Ndukwe, the spokesman of Enugu State Police Command said: “Information surrounding a truck that was on fire this morning at Eluagu Obukpa in Nsukka LGA is sketchy, as the Command is yet to receive any formal report of the incident.
Media reports have it that although the Imo State government and the state police command have continued to assure the residents to go about their lawful business, yet every Monday, the streets of Owerri are usually empty.
The story is the same in Okigwe and Orlu towns. Small areas such as Ahiara Junction, Anara market Roundabout, Umuaka market and Amaraku were deserted on Monday.
“In the state, commercial activities are always grounded every Monday. Banks, markets, shopping malls, eateries and shops remain locked every Monday since August 9. Schools, mechanic workshops, recreational centres and churches were under lock and key since the announcement of the weekly sit-at-home protest by IPOB.
“This is contrary to the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, earlier statement on August 25, that the sit-at-home had no impact on the residents of the state, who he said didn’t obey it,” local media reports said.
Realnews recalls that although the Ebonyi State government had warned workers in the state that they could lose their jobs if they complied with the sat at home, order.
In Awka, the capital of Anambra state, shops, markets, and even banks remained closed in solidarity with the IPOB leader.
The story is not different in Abia, the home state of the Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the IPOB. Some people in the state believe that those who observe the order have their reasons for doing so.
For instance, a security expert and a criminologist, Emeka Umeagbalasi, said since the IPOB reversed the order, it had been interpreted differently by different people based on “fear of their security or being willingly/genuinely wanting to show solidarity”.
“Rightly, sit-at-home that has been ongoing repeatedly across Igboland every Monday is interpreted differently, especially since it defied IPOB’s reversal of same. Some think it is because of fear of state terrorism using highly compromised security agencies to possibly mass kill or mass abduct or arrest innocent and defenceless Igbo road users and others.
“But the question to this line of thinking is: how many security operatives are seen on the roads on the day of the sit-at-home? And are they Nigerian security agencies, if that is truly the case, now enforcers of sit-at-home or ‘discouragers’ of the same? If security agencies go about killing people or mass arresting them because they refuse to sit-at-home, are the same security agencies now part of IPOB and if not, are they not supposed to be encouraging people not to sit at home? There was a claim that soldiers molested residents of Emene in Enugu State who gathered in front of their homes because their shops were not open. Where do you place this assault on, is it to encourage or discourage?”
“Another line of thinking is done people stay at home to avoid being attacked by IPOB and the frontal counter to this is that: why are people still afraid of the same IPOB that issued a counter directive suspending the sit-at-home?.”
Umeagbalasi, however, believes that this situation will not last and called for concerted efforts to address the motivating factor.
“I think it is a strong collective message to the Nigerian government to frontally address the issue, including the root causes that are propelling the resort to armed resistance. The world is also called upon to intervene now before it gets out of hand. Since it is a conscientious thing, I think the sit-at-home will not last forever. When it is time it will be discontinued,” he said.
It will be recalled that IPOB ordered the sit at home to protest the re-arrest and detention of Kanu in Abuja by security operatives.
– Sept. 07, 2021 @ 11:15 GMT |
A.I
Tags: IPOB sit-at-home
