The Monday sit-at-home order by the leadership of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB – grounded business activities in Aba, the commercial hub of Abia State.
While IPOB has suspended the exercise and promised to float a team of taskforce to checkmate those enforcing the sit-at-home, residents in some cities of the States of Southeast region are yet to resume full business activities every Monday.
Recall that IPOB ordered for the Mondays Sit-at-home, an exercise they tagged “Ghost Monday” – which the separatist group said its embarked on the protest to press home their need for the Federal government to release its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, who was arrested and detained in the custody of the DSS.
The group had subsequently suspended the order, warning that anyone caught enforcing the sit-at-home will be treated as a traitor against the Biafran struggle.
Inspite of the several statements released by the IPOB media and publicity secretary, Emma Powerful, assuring the Southeast residents to go about their normal business activities every Monday, check by Abacity Blog showed that people might have been afraid of violence by hoodlums masquerading as IPOB members, hence their reason not to resume business activities on Mondays.
Markets, Banks, Schools and Transport Services were all grounded following the sit-at-home exercise.
“In Aba, people are very much afraid to open their shops every Monday”, a treader, simply identified himself as Uchechukwu told Abacity Blog.
According to him, “most traders in different markets in Aba are tired of the sit-at-home, hence it should be totally suspended”. When reminded that IPOB has suspended the exercise, “Mr. Uchechukwu said it’s one thing to suspend it and the other to assure the people of total protection when they opened their shops”.
“One of the reasons why the market leaders do not unlock the market gates keys is because people are afraid and if not properly guided, People’s shops might be vandalized by hoodlums”.
“I was at Shopping center this morning and I saw few traders around, but the gate was locked because only few people came and the market gate can be unlocked because of security reasons. This sit-at-home is really affecting us and we’re tired”, the trader said.
See more photos below.
