By Vera Chinonso Aliyu and Ada Obeleagu, YeyeNews.com, October 2, 2021
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) movement has threatened to declare a one-month stay-at-home order across the five Southeast states if the federal government fails to produce Nnamdi Kanu in court at his next trial date of October 21, 2021.
The threat, YeyeNews.com learned, was issued in a statement released by the group’s spokesman, Emma Powerful. This is coming few weeks after the group called off the “Ghost Monday” stay-at-home that it declared in the region.
An IPOB member told YeyeNews.com that the “Ghost Monday” order succeeded in wrecking untold hardship and lose on major economic activities in Lagos, Abuja and Kano while Aba, Onitsha and Owerri experienced never-before-seen uptick in economic activities as all the traders and businessmen relocated their businesses from Lagos to the more conducive Aba. “We are bleeding the zoo economy but Biafra is growing in strength”, he declared.
However, the Lagos State government, reeling from the devastating economic lose brought about by the “Ghost Monday” order, has begged IPOB not to declare another stay-at-home. The Commissioner of Information for the state told YeyeNews.com reporter that the state lost over 20 billion naira each day that the “Ghost Monday” occurred and it could not afford a one-month-long stay-at-home because it might lead to a total collapse of the economy. “The governor has reached out to IPOB to plead with them not to embark on such a catastrophic exercise”, he added.
But the spokesperson for the Southeast Governors Forum told YeyeNews.com that unlike the weak economies of Lagos, Kano and Abuja, the economies of the Southeast states are too robust and resilient to be affected by IPOB’s stay-at-home order. “We are not bothered by the threat of IPOB. Their effect is like a needle scratch, it cannot affect us one bit”, the spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, many residents of of the southeast complained about the lack of concern of the governors about the plight of the lockdowns of IPOB. “We are losing our livelihoods but the governors don’t care. Even Lagos is begging IPOB not to lockdown the Southeast but our governors are busy begging money up and down”. a resident of Ebonyi State told YeyeNews.com reporter.
Another resident, an old man who said he fought in the Biafran War, told YeyeNews.com reporter that he was confused by what IPOB was doing. According to him, “When you put a snail inside a fire to roast, it will be giving out fluid believing that in so doing it will quench the fire. Little does it know that it is a wasteful and futile attempt because its death will eventually come.” When YeyeNews.com reporter asked him to explain, he shook his head and told the reporter to go and buy “The Book of Igbo Proverbs” and then added, “Hurry up! One-month lockdown is coming.”
