Charles Nwekeaku, the Secretary General of the Igbo Elders Consultative Forum, has alleged that the Simon Ekpa faction of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) issued a directive for a sit-at-home on Tuesday in the entire South East region.
He stated that this directive was obeyed by the populace, as people remained indoors, despite counter-directives from various state governments urging them to disregard the IPOB’s instruction. He identified that the people were afraid to come out due to the absence of concrete arrangements to ensure their safety. He stated that this lack of trust is exacerbated by the conspicuous absence of military and police personnel from the roads on Mondays, despite their presence on other days.
He said in an interview with Arise TV from 2:35, ‘There was a directive from Simon Ekpa’s faction of IPOB directing people to stay at home on Tuesday. So, people didn’t come out, and I asked why. While that directive was issued, various state governments issued a counter one, saying people should ignore it. But surprisingly, people obeyed and stayed at home. I called some people around 4 p.m. yesterday, and they told me they hadn’t even opened their gates. These are young men, and I asked them why.
They said, well, it’s true that the southeast state governments said they should ignore the order. But the people said there were no concrete arrangements to prove they would be safe. So, basically, people don’t trust the government to protect them. They don’t believe the government will do anything. And surprisingly, if you go to the southeast, every 500 meters, you see military and police checkpoints. But on Monday, you go to most parts of the Southeast, and they’re gone. The military, police, and other federal agencies – you won’t see them on the road.”