Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has vowed to sanction schools, businesses, and institutions who obey the two-day sit-at-home directive issued by the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.
This was announced by the Secretary to the State Government, Chidiebere Onyia during a press conference held with security chiefs after they inspected various sectors in the state.
The factional IPOB leader, Simeon Ekpa, declared a sit-at-home order across the South-East for Monday and Tuesday. Despite this, the state government has expressed its commitment to enforcing its policy of zero compliance to illegal directives.
Onyia warned that public and private schools, as well as businesses that obeyed the sit-at-home order, would face appropriate sanctions. The policy is intended to discourage future compliance with such directives, which the government sees as a threat to regional stability.
Meanwhile, the Coalition of South-East Youth Leaders, COSEYL, has expressed frustration over the recurring sit-at-home orders, blaming faceless individuals for the economic disruption. COSEYL called on President Bola Tinubu to release the detained IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, as a potential solution to ending the economic sabotage and chaos in the South-East region.
READ ALSO : IPOB denounces October 21-22 sit-at-home order
COSEYL President-General, Goodluck Ibem, noted that the ongoing unrest is harming the region’s economy, and urged for immediate action to halt the orders, which are often propagated through anonymous voice notes and videos.
The group believes Kanu’s release could restore calm and prevent further disruption.
Credible News recalls that IPOB had earlier called on residents of the South-East to disregard the widely circulated sit-at-home order for October 21 and 22, labeling it as fake and not issued by the group.
Over the past two weeks, video clips and voice notes have spread on social media, urging people to stay indoors on those dates, and warning of consequences for non-compliance.
These messages fueled anxiety, many official and unofficial activities scheduled for those days were postponed. Courts rescheduled hearings, and schools canceled classes due to fears of unrest.
IPOB’s spokesman, Emma Powerful, clarified that the group is not behind the sit-at-home order, which he attributed to criminal elements and Finland-based infiltrators acting independently. In an interview, Powerful urged residents to continue their normal activities and ignore the false directive.
“IPOB did not declare any sit-at-home on October 21 and 22. This illegal order is from infiltrators and criminals. We urge our people to ignore it and go about their business,” he said.
Powerful stressed that IPOB no longer supports sit-at-home actions, having suspended them, and warned that anyone declaring such orders is acting without the group’s authority.
“We don’t want to discuss this further to avoid giving undue attention to these criminal elements,” he added.
The clarification aimed to dispel fears and restore normalcy to the region amidst rising concerns over security and stability.
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