Markets, banks, schools, airports to be shut ■ Aba, Nnewi, Onitsha, Owerri traders lament, urge FG to dialogue with group

There is growing concern in the South East following threats by the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) to lockdown the entire region with effect from Monday, August 9, 2021, if its detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu was not released unconditionally.

This is as fresh facts emerged yesterday regarding the nature of the impending lockdown.

IPOB has declared that it would be a complete shutdown, directing all markets, banks, schools, airports and other public places to close down from August 9.

The group’s media and publicity secretary, Emma Powerful in a statement on Friday, explained that the lockdown will be observed Monday of every week from 6am to 6pm.

He warned of great consequences of flouting the directive, saying any defaulter will have to pay a huge price.

Tagged: “Ghost Mondays”, Powerful noted that it was “designed to show the world how serious we are towards this fight for Biafra freedom and independence. Everybody must adhere to this clarion call put in place by the leadership of IPOB and it would be good for everyone to know that IPOB will not relent until Biafra is fully achieved.

“People are to remain indoors to register their concern over the fate of our leader and the rest of all agitators languishing in various security detentions.

“Nobody should attempt to flout this directive as doing so may come with huge consequences. Anybody flouting this order is taking a grave risk.”

However, mixed reactions have trailed the impending lockdown across the major commercial towns and cities of South East.

While many traders and businessmen in Aba, Abia State, decried frequent closure and disruption of businesses in the region, some others in Nnewi said they would always identify with the struggle for independent state of Biafra.

According to them, adhering to such lockdown will run down the economy of the South East geopolitical zone, which is grossly dependent on private sector investments.

They said the Igbo, including the IPOB, would rather vouch for a speedy trial of Kanu, by the court and his acquittal, instead of disrupting livelihood of people.

A textile dealer in Ekeohe Shopping Centre, Chief Cornelius Ezeokoli, said Ndigbo depend on private struggles for their families’ daily living, stressing that should they be stopped from doing business on Mondays, things would get out of hand.

“We are already saddled with sitting at home on May 30th, every year, adding another day especially Mondays, the first business day of every week will be very injurious to our families.

“IPOB should rethink, and do the right thing in the interest of the ‘war’ we are fighting,” Ezeokoli urged.

Another trader, Chief Ibe Chijioke, who spoke in the same vein, called on Ndigbo, not to do things that will create problems for the masses at the community level.

He said: “Our people rely on farming and petty trading, if they are ordered to sit at home every Monday, until further notice, who will feed their families?”

Chijioke said Ndigbo will continue to support the just cause being fought for by people like Kanu, but will resist attempts to strangulate and stifle their sources of livelihood.

Others who said they would ignore the sit-at-home order, should it take effect, included artisans, labourers and female petty traders in the various community markets.

But a market leader in Nnewi, Anambra State, Ichie David Udemesi, has called on the Muhammadu Buhari-led government to invite IPOB to a roundtable discussion with a view to minimizing economic waste. Udemesi, who is also a former chairman of importers association in Nnewi, said though Kanu might have committed crimes that led to his arrest, yet, government should, for the sake of peace, law and order, security of lives and property, and for the economic progress of the country, sheath its sword, and address the agitators’ demands.

“In the real sense of it, IPOB is capable of locking down the economic and social lives in the South East. They can do it every Monday, as they said.

“FG should not neglect IPOB members in this very issue. I am not in the position to direct FG on what to do or what not to do; but it is my candid counsel that FG should look into that demand. If government is truly there for the welfare of the people, this is the right time to prove it; because, South East will be losing over N2 billion every Monday, if FG refuses to release Kanu, and IPOB fulfills its threat,” he said.

Meanwhile, the separatist group said it has an intelligence report that Kanu was being tortured to death in detention. It further alleged that this was the reason the Department of State Service (DSS) has refused to grant Kanu medical attention and access to his family members.

“The DSS can go ahead and keep our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu incommunicado without access to him and we observed that DSS operatives are torturing our leader to the point of death. That was why they don’t allow anybody to see his state of health in the DSS facility.

“DSS should know that if anything untoward happens to him, we are going to confirm what IPOB is made of and they will understand that we are prepared for this freedom. Our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is not a criminal and has the rights to be visited in their custody,” Powerful stated.

The group has also called on all Igbo leaders as well those it claimed were responsible for Kanu’s detention to intervene or have themselves to blame.

He said: Nobody should take our quietness as cowardice. Our intelligence reveals that Nnamdi Kanu is under serious torture and humiliation because he refused all offer given to him,” Powerful claimed.

https://www.sunnewsonline.com/kanu-unease-in-south-east-over-Igbos-lockdown-threat/

Ipob must teach that man Jubril or Buhari some sense

Lock down every where.... There is no need of closing market every Monday, as long as Kanu is still being in the prison, the protest should be everyday.

Ipob should paralyse everything to let that man know how serious they are

They should send Abba kyari super cop

Kanu is fighting for Biafra, but only shutting down the SE. Meanwhile SS is part of Biafra.

Scam taken too far.

This won't last, after 2 weeks they will ease up and everybody will start their normal routine.

IPOB is now over reaching their influence. Sensible igbos will start dealing with them.

Come and close Ariaria ABA let's see. A ga egbuwa unu ishi.

We lockdown our region, our neighbours cry. Ndi spyro soup

Fg won't release him like that.. Abegi.. Just noise

What kind of Injustice and human rights abuse are we practicing in Nigeria you arrest somebody detained the person and denied them access to their lawyers, doctor and their family.

What is there to lock in an already land locked states? Wailing zombie. Truly IPoB no get sense

Jostoman:
What kind of Injustice and human rights abuse are we practicing in Nigeria you arrest somebody detained the person and denied them access to their lawyers, doctor and their family.

Those Soldiers, policemen whom Nnamdi sent UGM to kill have no lawyers, doctors to attend to them
Why do you people love emotions like this?

Irrational IPOB should go and lockdown Abuja not Igboland where their leader is been held if they are not cowards.
Ndi Igbo must not continue making sacrifices for unachievable Biafra nation.

udele1:
Kanu is fighting for Biafra, but only shutting down the SE. Meanwhile SS is part of Biafra.

Scam taken too far.

Nwanne, with the way this idiotic IPOB are behaving, I am losing interest in the actualization of Biafra.


Apart from threats and order, what leadership capability does IPOB and Kanu have.

I can't be under people whose plan of achieving our dream country is to hunt for "Saboteurs" and "Efulefu".

They have not should a survey of how the country will be administered.


I am not an IPOB zombie like the foolish I.mbecilic boy called Gidgiddy

naijapips02:
IPOB is now over reaching their influence. Sensible igbos will start dealing with them.

Come and close Ariaria ABA let's see. A ga egbuwa unu ishi.

They are foolish people.


Who made them administrator of Ndigbo.

ChangedMan1999:



Nwanne, with the way this idiotic IPOB are behaving, I am losing interest in the actualization of Biafra.


Apart from threats and order, what leadership capability does IPOB and Kanu have.

I can't be under people whose plan of achieving our dream country is to hunt for "Saboteurs" and "Efulefu".

They have not should a survey of how the country will be administered.

But you can be under a country where Miyetti Allah and killer Heardsmen can slaughter thousands of people every year but get treated like Gods

You can be in a country where Sheikh Gumi goes to plead with armed terrorists

You can be in a country where Governor Masari of Katsina takes pictures with armed bandits

gidgiddy:


But you can be under a country where Miyetti Allah and killer Heardsmen can slaughter thousands of people every year but get treated like Gods

You can be in a country where Sheikh Gumi goes to plead with armed terrorists

You can be in a country where Governor Masari of Katsina takes pictures with armed bandits

Shut up.

Should IPOB be giving freedom to be killing anyi wu Ndigbo because Herdsmen are killing people all over the country.


The same way bandits are terrorists are the same way IPOB are terrorists.


Nothing concern me if Masari takes pictures with bandits that are killing them. My concern is IPOB should do things in a civilized way.

Once again, you are an I.mbecile

ChangedMan1999:





Shut up.

Should IPOB be giving freedom to be killing anyi wu Ndigbo because Herdsmen are killing people all over the country.


The same way bandits are terrorists are the same way IPOB are terrorists.


Nothing concern me if Masari takes pictures with bandits that are killing them. My concern is IPOB should do things in a civilized way.

Once again, you are an I.mbecile

Yes nothing concerns you in Nigeria except IPOB. Well you better look at the pictures below and be very concerned because far worse than IPOB is happening in Nigeria

gidgiddy:


Yes nothing concerns you in Nigeria except IPOB. Well you better look at the pictures below and be very concerned because far worse than IPOB is happening in Nigeria

By Brother, it is not as if I don't want the actualization of Biafra.

No. My point is let us leave Fulani and concentrate in only South East. We should only talk about or deal with Fulani if they try to do nonsense in our lands.

gidgiddy:


But you can be under a country where Miyetti Allah and killer Heardsmen can slaughter thousands of people every year but get treated like Gods

You can be in a country where Sheikh Gumi goes to plead with armed terrorists

You can be in a country where Governor Masari of Katsina takes pictures with armed bandits

Why die for an Imaginery country, whose existance depnds on other people? So the destiny of Igbo's is now in the hands of Niger Delta, according to the fraudster.

gidgiddy:


Yes nothing concerns you in Nigeria except IPOB. Well you better look at the pictures below and be very concerned because far worse than IPOB is happening in Nigeria

They are benue people, why are Igbo's fighting for Benue? You should be more concerned with igbos kanu is wasting for fund raising.

We may shout and quarrel on nairaland, but that doesn't change the fact that IPOB is a great force in the East.
Even if all the Governors in the south East decide to share money every Monday to the people, I bet you the people would rather stay indoors than disobey the order given by the IPOB

Monogamy:
Ipob must teach that man Jubril or Buhari some sense

Lock down every where.... There is no need of closing market every Monday, as long as Kanu is still being in the prison, the protest should be everyday.

Ipob should paralyse everything to let that man know how serious they are

Exactly. They should lockdown 7 days a week if they want Buhari and the North to shake and tremble otherwise its a waste of time.

Afterall no sacrifice is too great for Lamidi Cownu.

OPPPS:
What is there to lock in an already land locked states? Wailing zombie. Truly IPoB no get sense

udele1:


Why die for an Imaginery country, whose existance depnds on other people? So the destiny of Igbo's is now in the hands of Niger Delta, according to the fraudster.

The destiny of Igbos and everyone in Nigeria is already in the hands of the North

gidgiddy:


The destiny of Igbos and everyone in Nigeria is already in the hands of the North

So Igbo's want to take it from the North and put it in the hands of Niger Delta?

So Igbo's are incapable of managing their destiny? They must give it to somebody to hold?

Wake up from this scam man. The only people Benefiting is kanu and his fraudulent organisation IPOB.

udele1:


So Igbo's want to take it from the North and put it in the hands of Niger Delta?

So Igbo's are incapable of managing their destiny? They must give it to somebody to hold?

Wake up from this scam man. The only people Benefiting is kanu and his fraudulent organisation IPOB.

What is Niger Delta? Igbo is a tribe, I have never heard of a tribe called Niger Delta

gidgiddy:


What is Niger Delta? Igbo is a tribe, I have never heard of a tribe called Niger Delta

And your FENDI freedom fighter was offered Biafra with 5 igbo states and he rejected it. Now he wants the Biafra that he has to fight the SS to be part of?