Business, education, and government activities were shut down in Owerri, the Imo State capital, as residents stayed indoors in compliance with a sit-at-home directive.
This is despite the Imo State Police Command’s call for residents to disregard the directive and go about their normal business activities.
The proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra has, for years, directed residents to stay indoors on May 30 to honour fallen Biafra heroes and this year was no exception.
On Friday, the city remained deserted despite the heavy security presence across the state.
A visit to the usually busy Wetheral, Douglas, and Tetlow roads, considered the commercial hubs of the state, showed total emptiness, as people stayed indoors.
Not a single school or bank was in operation and even street touts were nowhere to be found.
Traders, who pleaded anonymity, said they stayed away to avoid any form of attack on their business premises under any guise.
Not even a single commercial bus was sighted on the road, as people, including civil servants, stayed away.
Meanwhile, there was a heavy presence of security operatives across the state in response to any potential threat.
The Police Public Relations Officer for Imo State, Henry Okoye, on Friday morning, warned against any individual or group planning to breach the peace.
Okoye said security operatives drawn from the Army, Air Force, Police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Department of State Services, Federal Road Safety Corps, Immigration Service, and Federal Fire Service were all stationed across the state to prevent any breach and ensure the safety of lives and property.
He stated, “The Commissioner of Police, Imo State Command, CP Aboki Danjuma, has once again called on the good and law-abiding people of Imo State to disregard the disruptive sit-at-home threat issued by the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed affiliate, the Eastern Security Network (ESN). He reassures all residents that the Command, in synergy with other security agencies, has activated robust security measures to forestall any form of threat or attack across the state.
The Service Commanders and Heads of security agencies in Imo—including Brigadier General M. I. Abbas, Commander, 34 Artillery Brigade, Obinze; DSS Director, DD Olushola Aguda; Air Commodore D. E. Bello, Commander, Nigeria Air Force 211 QRG; as well as heads of NSCDC, Immigration, FRSC, and Fire Services—have jointly instituted proactive measures and are working closely with the Police to avert any sit-at-home threat and protect lives and property.
“Joint security operatives have been strategically deployed across the 27 local government areas of the state. These operatives are currently undertaking intensive confidence-building patrols and show-of-force operations to deter criminal elements and reassure members of the public.”
The police boss added, “The Imo State Police Command, therefore, issues a stern warning to any individual or group planning to breach the peace by attempting to enforce the illegal sit-at-home threat: such persons will be decisively dealt with in accordance with the laws of the land.
The Commissioner of Police urges Ndi Imo to remain vigilant and security conscious, and to report any suspicious movement or activity within their environment to the nearest Police Station or through the Command’s emergency lines: 08034773600 or 08148024755,” Okoye said.
