Crime News
Biafra: IPOB Sit At Home Order Grounds Onitsha Anambra State & Other Igbo States Today
September 23, 2016 – Biafra: IPOB Sit At Home Order Grounds Onitsha Anambra State & Other Igbo States As Police & Army Mount Tight Security
BY Ononye VC
The sit-at-home order announced by the agitators for the Independent State of Biafra (IPOB)for the release of their leader Nnamdi Kanu last Friday grounded economic activities in and around the commercial city of Onitsha as major markets, schools, commercial banks and other businesses closed down and many people stayed in their homes.
At the various busy streets like the Old Market Road, New Market Road, Oguta Road and the popular Upper Iweka Road,the ever busy streets were deserted.
Some Okada motorcyclists had a field day ferrying few passengers available on the streets while a good number of commercial buses and taxes disappeared from the roads as some people who had scheduled to travel were stranded.
At the Onitsha Central Police Station,(CPS), hundreds of northerners of were seen taking refuge in order to avoid any possible reprisal attack or molestation.
At the popular Tarzan Junction,Nkpor near Onitsha, people suspected to be hoodlums had very early in the morning blocked the expressway and set burn fires to scare people away.
However, the police quickly intervened and cleared the road. Policemen who were on patrol were also seen dismantling and collecting used tires piled up for burn fires by miscreants who on sighting the police vanished into thin air.
The Police Area Commander in charge of Onitsha, ACP Abubakar A Yahaya who led a crack team of his men on patrol around some flash points in Onitsha urged the residents to go about their lawful businesses, that the police was constitutionally ready to protect lives and property.
ACP Yahaya said;
“It was necessary to make known the directive of the IGP and the state commissioner of police to my area of coverage for people to go about their lawful businesses that the police is fully prepared to protect them.”
Journalists were able to observe that as early as 5:30am on Friday, policemen from the Onitsha Area Command were already stationed in strategic parts of the town.
At the Bridge Head of Onitsha, a combined team of Police,Army and Civil Defence men were already on duty.
Omokehinde
September 24, 2016 at 1:27 AM
The stay home protest didn’t have no single impacts on other regions of the country because people there are busy with their various businesses. As I’ve stated in my last comment about the protest, the only people that we be affected are our brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers and other people living in the Southeast (Igbo) region of the country. If Kanu Nnamdi is really willing to get out from the prison he put himself due to his arrogant, lack of respect, joblessness, mannerless behavior, uncultured altitudes, and many of his dumb threats against Nigerian government, he needs to write or consult with the elders and the traditional rulers in the Southeast, and the five other regions of the country. First, he has to denounce violence as a means to resolve issues with the government and other minorities groups in Nigeria. Denouncing violence does not necessary means giving up on some Igbos call for Biafra nation. Afterall, the entire population of Liberia nation is less than five million. Secondly, he must write a letter to PMB, All Nigerian senators, former Presidents/Head of State, and governor through a prominent and well respected Igbo leader or politician promising never to instigate Igbo tribe against hundreds of other tribes. He must promise them never to call for another civil war, stop promoting hatred and tribalism, and stop propagating lies and falsehood on his illegal radio Biafra. Those powerful Nigerians will ensure his release soon or later. To those Igbos calling for succession, just last week, Delta state government publicly declared that the state is not and will never be part of your proposed Biafra state. I’m very certain that Rivers, Bayelsa, and other states comprises of the present Southsouth region will rather be left alone rather than be part of your proposed Biafra nation according to your recent Biafra map. Why you Biafran agitators claiming other people’s territories as yours if really you are serious about the succession? The fact is that only those states in the present Southeast region can form Biafra nation if all Igbos are on board wHich I doubt. So instead of campaigning for our nation to be divided into six or ten smaller nations, why not come together, negotiate our differences, forgive each other, and demand accountability, transparency, good governance from our elected officials at all levels of government. It never too late for this generation of Nigerians to have a great nation that benefits all the citizens regardless of their tribe, religion, culture, and language. This just my sincere opinion, but Kanu Nnamdi, the Igbo people, and their political and traditional leaders are those that will determine their stake in Nigeria. Igbo Kwenu!However, I strongly believe that we are far better off as one powerful entity called Nigeria.
MANNUEL
September 24, 2016 at 6:02 PM
OmoKehinde, Sincerely me think the Igbos must be given a listening ear by the rest of Nigerian nation, there should be no forcing an unwilling horse to the riverside only to face another problem of forcing it to drink water. Unfortunately, the Igbos who are resident and permanently domiciled within their 5 states territory of South East seem to underestimate the magnitude of their gamble at a sessesion, hense their inability to rationalise the economic, homeward migrations, humanitarian crisis, scramble for land space and above all agitation for tribal clanish dominace among miriad of pitfall that certainly awaits such a fruitless venture will crumble such a dream if ever it succeeded. Is IPOD and Biafran agitators prepared to be aliens in the Nigerian State they have invested billions of dollars to build, are Igbo agitators resident in the South East thinking through their decisions wholly with millions of their compatriot living everywhere in mind. The Igbos are notorious for migrations and have an unenvious habit of a self imposed normadic lifestyle of all Nigerian tribes. Have Igbos resident abroad who most have properties and businesses in Nigeria addressed their minds to the facts that they require Visa to visit Nigeria and, even under ECOWAS protocol still remains foreigners and only could be allowed maximum of 90 days to stay or be prepaired to regularise their long stay as foreigners.? Millions of Igbos are dotted in everywhere in all towns and villages across Nigeria engaged in all manner of legitimate businesses; Question is, are Biafrans ready to move their businesses back to their Igbo territorial enclave or be prepared to be treated as foreigners with all the limited rights associated with doing business in foreign land.? Its unfortunate Biafran agitations have brought us to this level of unreasonability, a self centered mentality forced on the entire nation by a minority few amongst who don’t think far enough into the future. Not even the history of a painful and fruitless civil war provided a usefull lession. Hope they change their minds very soon before it becomes too late. LONG LIVE ONE NIGERIA
Mon
September 24, 2016 at 2:29 AM
There is no doubt this Independent of BIAFRA can be achieved if they continue to demand for it in this Civil manner.
Now,the Nigeria government has to call for referendum on this matter before things will get violent again.
dorrye
September 24, 2016 at 5:36 AM
una for come out come fight for biafra
fifelomo
September 24, 2016 at 8:00 AM
Passing bye, hellooooooooo anybody home?
Didolomo
September 24, 2016 at 10:42 AM
Exercise in futility. The agitation can only be honoured if South easterners stop building business empires through the nation. Other tribes are watching when the time comes you will be forced to renounce your agitation for IPOB. During the Biafra war acccording to history there was no salt to consume as small as it is. This led to people eating human beings,Lizards and other creature animals. Some of eastern parts are still cannibals.Please, all the agitators think twice so that eastern states shall not be wiped out this time around.
betty
September 24, 2016 at 3:06 PM
sit at home who epp
SAUDIQ
September 24, 2016 at 10:57 PM
The next time round, the Biafran “Sit Home” observance be included a no addmisions to any medical facility in the entire South East regions and all Doctors and Nurses sit home too, then will Nigerians know the Igbos are dead serious with their demand. One day order is also too short, it’ll send a very strong message to Federal Government if it could be extended to a week long. How could Biafrans think embarking on demonstration in an economic remote South Eastern Nigeria has any effect on the entire Nigerian nation when millions of your own people elsewhere survive in their businesses with the patronage of the rest of Nigerian people. You can choose to seceed and risk missing out on the patronage of the largest market in the entire West Africa. Biafrans could go read the history of Somalia, South Sudan, Pakistan and why Kashmier region remains the most deadly and volatile territory in Asia. The struggle for supremacy and sectorial clanish agitations will definately dominate the very real ambitions of a Biafran State. Mono tribal countries anywhere around the world hardly enjoy peaceful existence, the beauty of success in all countries is in how they manage their differences so as to take advantage of their diversity in order to enhance their successful co-existence. The South Sudan and Somalia provides a useful lession if Biafrans care to learn and, to put a stop to the unneccesary agitations that will never succeed anyway.
Agu biafra
September 25, 2016 at 7:28 AM
I AM NNAMDI KANU I have chosen death, I shall die for Biafra and let my death give my generation a better life, let my death be a guarantee for a better future, let my death be your smile and let my death end your marginalization, subjugation, slavery and tears. I am Nnamdi Kanu the lion that chose death over the abuse of his people. I instead die than renounce Biafra, give me Biafra or kill me is where I stand. I have been arrested for nothing, I am a prisoner of conscience, they are here to break me, to make me renounce Biafra but they don’t know me, they don’t know Biafra is my religion and they don’t know renouncing Biafra is a death sentence, is like committing suicide. In their widest dream shall I commit suicide and I assure them that days of reckoning will come, for Chiukwuokikeabiama shall avenge the death of His children. I have taken an oath with the name of God that I shall never betray or give up Biafra because I knew this day will come. I am physically and psychologicallyprepared for this period. I took the oath and staked my family, my generations and everything I am, and so giving up Biafra in any condition is impossible, even at gun point, I will only accept my inevitable death than renounce Biafra.
sola olaniyi
September 26, 2016 at 11:07 AM
sit at home doing what exactly?