The five-day sit at home order issued by Simon Ikpa, the self-acclaimed factional leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has flopped in the five South East states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo.
Banks, markets, schools, petrol stations and other public institutions all opened for businesses, even as individuals went about their normal endeavours without fear.
Also, motorists, keke operators and Okada riders were in the streets moving people from one destination to another.
Ikpa, in a video message recently circulated on the social media, threatened to kill anyone who dared to come out on any of the days starting from yesterday, December 9 to 14.
However, in a swift reaction, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, and many other groups and individuals, all kicked against the order and berated Ikpa and asked the people of the region to ignore him and his order.
IPOB leadership, has described Ikpa, as faceless and working for the forces against the actualisation of Biafra project, stressed that by ordering the sit-at-home, he wanted to unleash hardship on the people of the South East under the guise of fighting for Biafra, so that the people would reject the agitation.
In Abia State, residents ignored the order. There was no sign of observance of the sit-at-home as people moved about their normal businesses.
Unlike on Mondays in the state when banks, markets and some public institutions closed as a result of the sit-at-home, yesterday, public institutions such as markets, banks and schools opened for their daily activities. Those who spoke to Saturday Sun, said the five-day sit-at-home was one too many, meant to inflict more hardship on them.
“The Monday sit-at-home is already taking its toll on the people. This new order will amount to emasculating the people of the South East economically.”
In Anambra, the order flopped, as banks, markets, schools and other public institutions all opened for business even as individuals went about their normal businesses without fear. In fact, the order failed totally in Anambra.
In Ebonyi, our correspondent who visited the New Government House at Ochudo Centenary City and the Old Government House observed that government offices were open and functional.
Aside the markets that were all opened, commercial tricycle operators known as Keke NAPEP were also on. In Enugu, all the major markets were open to business, while banks, schools, petrol stations and government offices had their normal businesses. Also in the villages and communities, residents went about their normal daily activities and businesses including burials without blinking an eye over the order.
In Imo, the counter order issued by IPOB that it would deal with anybody or group attempting to enforce the purported sit-at-home in the South East, warning that its security arm, the Eastern Security Network and IPOB volunteers have been mandated to smoke out such miscreants, gave the people the assurance to move around.