By Cajetan Mmuta, Awka

With the latest planned 14 straight days of sit-at-home order by the Simon Ekpa-led faction of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPoB), it would seem that the people of Nigeria’s troubled South-East have had it.

Now, the residents and people of the five states in the South-East geo-political zone of the country are groaning as socio-economic activities are witnessing huge losses running to over N388 billion monthly.

No fewer than 25 persons have lost their lives during clashes and attempts by the IPoB/ESN members enforcing the sit-at-home order last week. In the larger South-East zone, 15 suspected members of the proscribed body were arrested by security agencies.

Ekpa had a few days ago again issued a statement declaring another two-week sit-at-home.

That comes barely a week after the people of the zone are yet to recover from a similar directive.

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According to Ekpa, who claims to be the Minister of the Biafra Republic Government in Exile (BRGIE), the two-week order would take effect from 31st July to 14th August 2023.

He said that the latest sit-at-home would enable the Biafran to demand for the immediate and unconditional release of Nnamdi Kanu, who remains detained at the Department of State (DSS) dungeon, in preparation for Biafran self-referendum.

Also, the exercise, he said, is to further put the world on notice that Biafran are taking their future into their own hands and to demonstrate that the Biafran people listen and are loyal to “those who parade themselves as Nigeria’s representatives within the Biafran territory.”

With the latest planned 14 straight days of sit-at-home, there are obvious implications.

This is considering the terror attacks, devastations, trauma, and psychological effects which collectively are likely to further deplete the economy of the erstwhile bustling area with businesses now laid comatose by a shutdown in markets, industries, as well as other human activities.

Investigations show that between 2014 and 2023, no fewer than 70 security personnel and more than 7,000 others have been killed, including the missing.

Over 500 public (police stations and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) offices) and residential buildings, a countless number of vehicles worth several billions of naira have been burnt, in the wake of the skirmishes across states of the geo-political zone.

The scary dimension in the agitation by members of IPoB towards their call for the release of Kanu and a lack of cohesive and proactive approach adopted by the elders, leaders, and governors of states in the region, have not helped much towards dousing the festering tension.

The consistent violent bloody attacks;  desolate villages, communities, and towns, crumbling businesses, repeated closure of markets, schools, and business premises; massive exodus of core investors with the attendant capital flight, have joined to spell doom in addition to slowing down the development indices in the region.

*Stakeholders groan over huge economic downturn

Speaking on the ugly development, the pan-Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, has condemned the sit-at-home, which it described as an act of facing the barrel of the gun inwards.

National Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Alex Ogbonnia, said, “Ohanaeze condemns the sit-at-home. It does not help anybody. You won’t face the barrel of the gun inwards. We don’t just begin to fight and destroy our people in the name of struggle. You have to engage the people you are fighting diplomatically until you come to the point of war. But here, you begin to fight here and there and destroy your people, so it’s not acceptable to us.”

He noted that the organisation is not folding its arms, adding, “Even before Mazi Mabazuluike Amaechi died, we kept talking to the presidency to release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. Some people used that as a way of perpetrating mayhem in the South-East, but if Nnamdi Kanu is released, they won’t have any basis for talking about releasing him.

“The President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Dr Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, is consistently talking to the authorities, and the press, and he did not stop at that. He had convened a meeting of South-East leaders, especially with the South-East governors, members of the Senate, and the House of Representatives in Abuja, and there is no way they will watch the people die.

“And because of that, very soon, there will be a delegation to the presidency concerning looking into the insecurity situation in the South-East, because you discover that security is in the exclusive legislative list of Nigeria.”

He added, “There’s not much we can do; the deployment and mobilisation of security agencies, the army, navy, police, and others, reside with the presidency. And because of that, it becomes necessary for us to see the face of the presidency for intervention and security in the South-East.

“Now, when you are a spectator outside the football field, you will see that it’s not too easy; the fact remains that President Buhari made up his mind against the Igbo. Anybody who is thinking that Ohanaeze is not doing enough should raise his hands so we can follow him. We have spoken about it with the British High Commissioner. We have spoken about it at the national and international levels.

“We went to Bihari and spoke about it, what else? Any Igbo man who feels he can do better should raise his hands and we can follow him.”

“Insecurity in the South-East is a reaction, an outcome, and consequence or result of a lot of other things that are happening in the South-East. Some people are looking at it from the surface. We have the cause and effect. So, Insecurity in the South-East has the cause of the problem. People are looking at the effects and under look the cause. The cause is still there; Nnamdi Kanu and IPoB are the products of social injustice against the Ndigbo and that’s why a lot of people are talking about seceding from Nigeria. So, even if you bring out Nnamdi Kanu and injustice is there, the struggle will continue. So, be looking at the cause.”

A businessman, Justice Obiajulu, noted that what’s happening is a collective thing because no matter how anybody tries to paint it, it calls for a national discussion and urgent action.”

According to him, “Nigeria is a composition of various groups and what affects one section, affects the whole. It does give me and any other joy or happiness that for years, successive governments have not bothered to sincerely address the core nagging issues bedevilling the South-East zone.”

He said that “In as much as the constant sit-at-home directives by IPOB and attendant closure of markets, business premises, and schools are negatively affecting the economy and social lives of our people in the Southeast region, due to incarceration of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu who is now in detention, the entire conception or issues in the should not prevent the authorities in power from addressing the salient problems affecting the Southeast and other geo-political zones.”

Anambra State governor, Chukwuma Soludo, had declared that the state will never yield to non-state actors on any illegal sit-at-home orders, describing Simon Ekpa as a fugitive and rabble-rouser who should be completely ignored by the citizens of Anambra and by extension the entire South-East.

He said the imposition of sit-at-home orders by unauthorised individuals or groups is a clear violation of the law, and that Anambra State will never observe any sit-at-home order by a Simon Ekpa.

“Our markets, schools, businesses, and other social activities would remain open and Anambra State would never be a breeding ground for anarchy, fear, or lawlessness,” he said.

The Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Aderemi Adeoye, during his maiden press conference in Awka, promised to make the South-East hot for criminal activities.

“When there’s no hiding place anywhere, people will turn new leaves, or they keep appointments with their maker,” he said.