Enugu Residents Shun Ekpa’s Two Weeks Sit-At-Home Order

Gideon Arinze in Enugu 

Residents of Enugu State, Wednesday, shunned the order to sit at home for two weeks issued by Finland-based self-acclaimed Biafra agitator, Simon Ekpa.

In a series of Tweets, Ekpa had said that the sit at home, which will last between July 31 and August 14,  was intended to further demand the release of detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu. 

IPOB had severally distanced itself from the calls for a sit at home. Kanu had also written to Ekpa, directing him to end all sit-at-home in the South-east via a letter made public on Friday by his Special Counsel, Aloy Ejimakor.

In the letter, Kanu warned that anyone enforcing sit-at-home in the southeast was not his disciple and should be made to face the full wrath of the law.

While he claimed that the sit at home has been 100% successful, with videos of some empty streets, checks by THISDAY showed that business owners went about their activities across various locations in Enugu, on Wednesday, including the state’s main market, Ogbete. It was the same story on Tuesday. 

To ensure the security of residents, security operatives, including the army were stationed across markets and other strategic locations.  The streets were busy with commercial buses plying the roads. 

Some business owners who spoke to THISDAY said that the sit at home had not yielded any results. Rather, it had impacted negatively on the economy of the region, hence the time had come for it to be rejected. 

“We have suffered for too long, we cannot continue to stay in our houses because of some orders by an individual who is somewhere, enjoying himself,” said Ifeanyi Chukwu, who runs a boutique business.  

Others who spoke to this reporter said that they had taken a decision to shun all orders to sit at home, moving forward. They however said that the state government must do well to ensure that security is sustained. 

In the past weeks, different youth groups, including students associations have also taken to the streets of Enugu to express their support for an end to the sit at home. 

Meanwhile, leadership of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has asked residents of Southeast to go about their lawful businesses and disregard the two weeks sit-at-home order by Mr Ekpa.

In a statement yestarday, president general, Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu condemned the incessant call for sit-at-home in the region, noting that more than 250 people in the region had lost their lives through the enforcement of the order.

“Several people have been killed, maimed and properties worth millions of naira have been destroyed,”Iwuanyanwu said. “The order has been instilling fears and trepidation in the good people of the zone, making it difficult for people to come out to transact their lawful businesses on the sit-at-home days.”

Iwuanyanwu also requested to hold talks with Ekpa and his group where they will have an opportunity to air their grievances.

“I urge the security operatives to exercise the highest degree of prudence in the discharge of their official duties to avoid further loss of innocent lives in Igboland.”