Police in Imo, Anambra Ask Residents to Ignore Sit-athome Order
DSS hires youths to stage street protest today, IPOB alleges
Ahead of today’s sit-at-home order by the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) to mark the 50th anniversary of the declaration of Biafra in 1967, the Imo and Anambra State Police…
Ahead of today’s sit-at-home order by the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) to mark the 50th anniversary of the declaration of Biafra in 1967, the Imo and Anambra State Police Commands have urged indigenes and residents in the two states to ignore such threat and go about their lawful businesses without fear of molestation.
A statement signed by the Imo State command’s Public Relations Officer, Andrew Enwerem, described the order as not only inciting but represented an unpatriotic and hostile propaganda against the sovereignty of the Nigerian state.
He said: “The attention of the Imo State Police Command has been drawn to the statements, claims, publications and posts circulating on the social media by groups who claim to be representing IPOB, Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and Biafra Independence Movement (BIM), directing law abiding citizens and innocent Nigerians to sit at home on May 30, 2017, in remembrance of the struggle for Biafra independence. The Inspector General of Police (IG) has already declared the publication and utterances illegal and deliberate attempt to disrupt public peace, safety and security.
“He has accordingly directed all state Commissioners of Police to place their states on red alert and ensure that these unpatriotic elements do not infringe on the rights of other persons and therefore cause a breakdown of law and order. He further directed that security officials must be polite, civil, fair but firm in dealing with the situation.”
The Imo State Commissioner of Police, Chris O. Ezike, acting in conjunction with heads of other security agencies have assured all citizens and residents of the state to go about their lawful business and not to fall prey to the propaganda and directives, ensuring that they have the capacity and capability to protect them.
The command also advised parents and guardians to restrain their children and wards from engaging in violent conduct and other acts likely to bring them in confrontation with the law, adding: “already, security forces/ agencies have begun a show of force and other simulation exercise within the metropolis aimed at sensitising the public and building their confidence that they will be protected.”
Also, the police in Anambra State assured residents of the state not to heed the call to sit-at-home order.
The state Commissioner of Police, Sam Okaula, in a telephone interview with THISDAY, said his men are very prepared to secure the people, adding that declaring a sit-at-home protest is not a lawful way by any group to pursue a legal cause.
“We will not allow anyone take the laws into his hands. If they are pursuing a cause, they should go about it the normal way. We urge everyone to go about their normal duties,” Okaula said.
Meanwhile, IPOB, through its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, has maintained that the declaration of May 30, 2017 as remembrance day celebration and sit-at-home was to honour and remember fallen heroes and heroines of Biafra.
He said in spite of the IG’s directive for a clampdown on pro-Biafran groups, IPOB will ensure that the sit-at-home exercise must be extended to other parts of Nigeria where Biafrans and supporters of Biafra have presence like Kano, Kaduna, Jos, Makurdi, Ibadan, Benin, Abuja, Lagos, Lokoja, Jigawa, Jalingo, Mubi, Yola, Lafia and other cities.
According to Powerful, “The sit-at-home exercise will be the best thing to happen to the people of Biafra in the last 50 years. It will be monitored by the international observers, and after May 30 sit at home, the struggle for Biafra freedom will move to another level, therefore everybody, both old and young, man and woman must stay indoors, no protest, no movement of any kind or vehicular in Biafraland from 6a.m. to 6p.m today.
Also, Powerful has raised an alarm over alleged plans by the Department of State Services (DSS) to sabotage the May 30 sit-at-home protest.
He told THISDAY yesterday that it had intercepted information that the DSS had procured hundreds of T-shirts, which they would give out to hired youths to stage street protests.
Powerful said the game plan was for the service to use the youths to cause trouble so as to turn back and blame it for making trouble, while justifying its plan to kill innocent youths.
He said: “There is information that the DSS arranged hundreds of youths with T-shirts written IPOB that will come out on the streets to cause confusion. They will say that IPOB is causing problem in the town.
“The soldiers have perfected this arrangement to kill our people, therefore we are calling Biafran to stay indoors to avoid being their victim.”