By Ishaya Ibrahim, News Editor
As many Nigerians, particularly Ndigbo, caution against the planned shutdown of the Southeast every Monday starting from tomorrow by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), the group has vowed to mete out harsh punishment to anyone who flouts the order.
IPOB said there is no going back on the order warning that “anybody who ventures to come out tomorrow will regret his or her life.”
This warning is coming against the backdrop of advice by some members of Nnamdi Kanu’s family advising against the shutdown.
Kanu’s younger brother, Kanu Nta Kanu, reportedly called for the suspension of the order so that Igbo students sitting for examinations will be able to do so.
Some others have also cautioned that the shutdown will hurt Ndigbo who are mainly businessmen and, therefore, counterproductive.
But IPOB pushed back on Sunday, insisting that “the sit-at-home order remains sacrosanct on Monday.”
A statement by Emma Powerful, IPOB’s media and publicity secretary, said it will be “total lockdown in every part of Biafra tomorrow.”
“The attention of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), ably led by our great leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has been drawn to the purported suspension of the Monday sit-at-home order issued by leadership of IPOB,” the statement said.
Accusing an unnamed section of the media of being behind the story, Powerful warned, “We wish to remind every Biafran that the sit at home order remains sacrosanct tomorrow (Monday).”
“Anybody issuing press statement concerning IPOB’s sit at home order is fake,” particularly if it did not have the imprimatur of “Comrade Emma Powerful, the media and publicity secretary for IPOB,” the statement further said.
“Therefore, every Biafran should disregard every statement that is not from Emma Powerful or DOS and radio Biafra.”
Not even the plight of students sitting for examinations is swaying IPOB not to go ahead with the order.
On that issue, Emma Powerful said, “We know the situation of those going for examinations tomorrow but our demand is for them to release our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
“Our people must understand that Fulani terrorists stopped our people from going to school for three years during the genocidal war in 1967 to 1970 and it did not kill our people and this one-day sacrifice for the release of somebody who has sacrificed a lot for our land will not kill them.
“Anybody who ventures to come out tomorrow will regret his or her life. We warn you tomorrow is total lockdown in every part of Biafra.”
In the same vein, Mazi Chika Edoziem, head of the Directorate of State (DOS) doubled down on Emma Powerful’s threat.
In a statement also on Sunday, titled, “9th August lockdown in Biafraland” Edoziem wrote:
“It has come to the attention of the Directorate of State of the Indigenous People of Biafra that a misleading
information to the effect that tomorrow’s Sit-At-Home in Biafraland has been suspended. Nothing can be
further from the truth.
“The Directorate of State of the Indigenous People of Biafra categorically and unequivocally states that our
Sit-At-Home tomorrow will go ahead as planned. Any information to the contrary must be ignored as the
work of our detractors.”
