Residents of the South East have continued with the sit-at-home directive of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) despite the suspension of the exercise every Monday to limit it to days when the IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu appears in court.
On Monday, August 30, 2021, streets, markets and public places were deserted.
Since the first order which turned bloody in some parts of the region was strictly adhered to on August 9, IPOB, following a fresh directive from its detained leader, Kanu said the exercise tagged ‘Ghost Town’ will no longer hold every Monday.
The sit-at-home order was declared to stand in solidarity with the pro-Biafra separatist leader, Kanu who has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since June.
However, despite the review of the Ghost Monday, many residents of the region have been staying indoors on Mondays, paralysing the commercial activities of Igboland every first weekday.
According to reports reaching SaharaReporters on Monday, commercial activities were stranded in the main sections of Owerri, the capital of Imo state.
Major roads known to be busy were deserted with a few vehicles plying the roads, while pedestrians abandoned the streets.
TheCable disclosed that some shops in Okigwe Road, Wetheral Road and Bank Road were locked, while banks in some parts of the state were not open for business on Monday.
Chibuike Norom, a shop owner in Owerri revealed that that the order had caused a setback on economic activities.
According to the newspaper, Norom urged residents in the state to have a “rethink in order not to jeopardise the economy of the south-east.”
In his own reaction a newspaper vendor who called himself Ifeanyi, showed satisfaction in the compliance with the sit-at-home order, adding that it is in solidarity with Kanu.
The same story was recorded in Zik Avenue and Eke, Awka, the Anambra capital city as the shops were locked, but a few people gathered in front of their shops discussing.
However, Onitsha which is known for its commercial activities, complied with the Ghost Town, as residents stayed indoors.
In Aba, Abia State, roads were empty with full compliance of the sit-at-home directive while shops and other business activities halted as well.
Emene, in Enugu state was not different from other places in the region as no vehicle was sighted on the roads, while shops were in locks.
However, the Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi had vowed to take over shops whose owners did not open for business in the state and threatened not to pay government workers who boycotted office.
He announced this during an All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders meeting, in Abakaliki, the state capital, on Sunday.
He said, “Any shop that is not opened tomorrow must be taken over by the government. Our South-East is about to be destroyed, but we have to fight to stop it.
“A lot of federal agencies have placed Ebonyi State on red alert. I give you example, the Aviation Ministry; it took my going to Abuja before they were able to come to give certain approvals for our airport.
“The other Monday, not this immediate past one, many civil servants did not go to work. We decided not to pay them, but the spirit of God prevailed and we paid them. But anybody who fails to go to work tomorrow (Monday) will definitely cease to be a civil servant. The security agencies must take note of this.”
