A human rights group, Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network (CRAAN) has called on South-East governors to save the people of the area from hardships occasioned by illegal sit-at-home orders in the region.
The President of the group, Mr. Olu Omotayo made the call on Tuesday in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu.
Omotayo said that it was worrisome that state governors in the zone had maintained indifference to the unending sit-at-home orders which had subjected the people to untold hardships.
He said that the situation was more worrisome as the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) which was known to be issuing such directives had since recused itself from such order.
Recall that IPOB had through its Media and Publicity Secretary, Mr. Emma Powerful, announced the suspension of Monday sit-at-home with effect from Sept. 19, 2019.
Recall that the group introduced the sit-at-home order as a means of pressing home the demand for the release of its incarcerated leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
Kanu is currently facing treasonable charges preferred on him by the Federal Government.
However, Omotayo said that it was regrettable that in spite of the suspension of such directive by the proscribed group, the masses in the region had continued to suffer.
He blamed the situation in the region on the state governors whom he said had failed to assert their authority by going after the hoodlums enforcing such orders in their respective states.
Omotayo said that the state governors needed to fish out the miscreants who were enforcing such order.
He said that the security agencies needed to be supported in any way possible to restore normalcy in the region, especially, on Mondays.
“We need the cooperation of the respective state governments in the region to end this madness because people are suffering. Economic activities have been grounded.
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“The basic function of government is the provision of security. The various state governments have to assist the various security agencies to sustain patrol,” Omotayo said.
A resident of Owerri in Imo, Mr Ikechukwu Nwachukwu, who expressed concern over the situation, urged IPOB to seek new approaches to its struggle noting that long sit-at-home would aggravate the situation.
Mrs Chinwe Anyanwu, a trader, said that constant lockdown had crippled businesses in the zone and urged governments and security agencies to come to their rescue.
NAN reports that economic activities were stalled in the southeast states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo following the illegal lockdown imposed by the proscribed group.
Banks, schools, offices, markets, hospitals and commercial vehicles were closed for businesses in the zone. (NAN)
