Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi has revealed why people in the South-East comply with the sit-at-home order by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
KanyiDaily recalls that IPOB had recently boasted that its sit-at-home directive on Monday was 100 percent successful throughout the South-East.
The sit-at-home order was issued in the South-East every Monday as part of the ways of protesting the detention of IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, by the federal government.
The proscribed group said that the lockdown tagged ‘Ghost Monday’ will also affect all schools, marketplaces, and other economic activities in the region.
Why People Obey IPOB’s Sit-At-Home Order
Reacting to the success of the sit-at-home order, Governor Umahi said the people of South-East obey the sit-at-home order not because of obedience, but due to fear of being attacked.
The governor, who was furious over the order and its economic impact on the zone, called on security agencies to step up their surveillance.
The governor spoke on Tuesday evening during a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a double-lane flyover, which, the state government said, would be named after the retiring Catholic Bishop of Abakiliki, Most Rev. Michael Okoro.
“We ask the security chiefs both in the state and in the nation to step up vigilance against the sit-at-home order of the IPOB,” Umahi said.
“People are not coming out, not because of obedience but because of fear, everybody wants to work and do business but it is out of fear.
“We do not know what we are doing to ourselves. I got a text message saying that the only way we can appreciate the killing of three million Igbos is to kill more.
“Another was saying that we will work on Tuesdays, Wednesdays Thursdays and Fridays and we should give out Mondays.
“That is very horrible. The southeast people must rise up to say no to this madness. Have you ever thought of how we are killing ourselves in the pretence that we are fighting?
“This is very dangerous. I said that any civil servant or contractor who fails to come to work on Monday will fulfil his salary or position.
“We cannot fold our hands in our own time to allow southeast to be destroyed. We must ask those who said they are fighting for us if they are truly fighting for us or for themselves.
“Igbo man is not known for killing Igbo man and we brand it unknown gunmen; what nonsense is that? We all know that those that are being killed are our brothers and sisters and those who are killing are our brothers.
“The governors of South-East will do a meeting to condemn this; and we ask the security people, both at the state and at the national level to step up their vigilance.
“I think we should get the security people on the street. People are not coming out not because of obedience but because of fear. If you have enough security people to protect their lives, everybody wants to come out to do business to eat. It’s out of fear, and so, the security people at state and national level should note this.”
Meanwhile, Nnamdi Kanu had also ordered the suspension of the sit-at-home order scheduled to hold in his honour every Monday in the South-East.