By Ishaya Ibrahim, News Editor
The sit-at-home order issued by the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) for businesses not to open on May 30 and May 31 for the annual Biafra Remembrance Day, recorded a 100 percent compliance.
The date marked the commencement of the Nigerian-Biafra war in 1967.
Under President Muhammadu Buhari, sentiment for IPOB has increased. The reasons are many, among which are the lopsided appointments of the president which excluded the South East from security appointments, and other strategic positions.
Leader of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, has become the rallying voice for young Igbos who feel their region isn’t getting a fair share of Nigeria’s commonwealth.
The ranks of IPOB has swell, plus its military wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), with a number of the young Igbo as a way of registering their disapproval with the government.
When IPOB, therefore, gives the order for businesses to be shut, it recorded 100 percent compliance, partly out of solidarity and partly out of fear of IPOB which also deploys terror to enforce compliance.
The governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi, who had earlier threatened to penalize shop owners who comply with IPOB’s order, had to make a U-turn to save face.
Busy markets like Onitsha, the biggest market in Africa, Ariara, and Aba were also deserted, all the shops closed.