The Enugu State Government has threatened to shut schools and markets that observe the controversial one-week sit-at-order declared by a faction of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that Simon Ekpa, the leader of Autopilot, a faction of the IPOB, had, in a statement on 14 June, announced that there would be a one-week sit-at-home in the region.
Mr Ekpa, a self-acclaimed prime minister of “Biafra Republic Government in Exile”, said the sit-at-home would hold from 3 to 5 July and continue from Friday 7 to 10 July.
The agitator said the proposed civil action was to demand the “immediate and unconditional release” of the IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who has been detained at the facility of Nigeria’s secret police, State Security Service.
He said the action was also in preparation for the conduct of “Biafra’s self-referendum.” But Emma Powerful, the spokesperson of the IPOB faction led by Mr Kanu, would later disown the declaration, saying the sit-at-home order did not emanate from the group.
In a statement on Tuesday by the Secretary to the State Government, Chidiebere Onyia, the state government warned proprietors of private schools not to comply with the civil order or risk losing their licence.
Mr Onyia, a professor, explained that the warning was in response to social media reports on Tuesday morning that proprietors of some private schools in the state were sending messages to parents that they would not open their schools for one week due to the controversial sit-at-home order.
Credit: premiumtimesng.com
