Troops have been given a marching order to seize control of areas where the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra enforce their sit-at-home order throughout the South-East states.
The Chief of Army Staff, Maj. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, gave the order after Finland-based pro-Biafra agitator, Simon Ekpa, said there would be a two-week sit-at-home in the South-East region from July 31 to August 14.
According to him, the order was to demand the immediate and unconditional release of the detained IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, as well as facilitate the freedom of the Biafra nation, among others.
Ekpa warned that failure to comply with the sit-at-home order would attract ‘heavy consequences’.
The Director of Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, said Ekpa’s announcement was unlawful and would not be condoned.
He said the troops of the 82 Division had been given an order to work with other security agencies to ensure citizens go about their businesses freely.
Onyema said, “The renewed threat by IPOB to compel the people in southeastern Nigeria to sit at home is not only appalling but a violation of the fundamental rights of southeastern Nigerians and, therefore, unlawful. This will never be condoned.
“The Chief of Army Staff has handed down clear directives to the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army operating in synergy with other security agencies to ensure robust patrols to dominate all flashpoints and emplace measures to ensure citizens are free to go about their legitimate businesses.
“Strangely, Simon Ekpa, a notorious terrorist and self-acclaimed leader of IPOB, is in Finland making a living for himself and his family, but ordering the people to shut down their means of livelihood by sitting at home.”
Onyeama told Nigerians resident in the South-East region to disregard the sit-at-home order, and urged them to support the security forces to defeat IPOB.
Onyema said, “We implore the good and enterprising people of the South-East to shun all forms of cajoling or threats aimed at unlawfully compelling them to be reclusive by sitting at home. We urge them to join forces with the security operatives to resist this illegality perpetrated by IPOB.”
In another development, the Force spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, has revealed that the police had killed and arrested non-state actors enforcing the order, adding that the force would not rest on its oars.
Adejobi said the police were keeping a tab on the sponsors of the agitators, adding that “The police will not allow any unlawful order to stand in any part of Nigeria. The sit-at-home order is illegal and unacceptable. We have suppressed and neutralised the non-state actors who have been trying to enforce the order. We have arrested many of them and recovered their weapons.
“We will not relent in our efforts to maintain law and order in all parts of Nigeria, and we assure the people in the South-East to go about their lawful businesses as we have emplaced adequate security measures to protect them. We are keeping watch on the sponsors of these agitators who cause pain and sorrow in the areas.
Meanwhile, Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State, has sought support of the Nigerian Navy to abolish the sit-at-home in the state.
Mbah who was at the naval headquarters in Abuja, had, on June 2, banned the sit-at-home order in Enugu, saying it was injurious to the economy of the state.
But the IPOB has defied that as the order still remains a feature of the state on Mondays.
Mbah said the order was making attracting investors to Enugu State an uphill task, adding that
“If we must deal with the root causes of insecurity we have in our country, we must adopt both the kinetic and non-kinetic approaches to dealing with insecurity, and we felt that the big elephant in the room is to address those activities that may be an inhibitor to bringing in investors to our state.”
