Enugu government asks residents to dismiss reports of attacks by gunmen

The Enugu government has asked residents to disregard reports of attacks by members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in some parts of the state.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Chidiebere Onyia, secretary to the Enugu government, said the state is peaceful, urging residents to go about their normal businesses.

Onyia was reacting to reports that members of IPOB were forcefully enforcing a sit-at-home order in the state.

Members of the separatist group were said to be interrupting business activities and preventing people from carrying out their daily activities.

Simon Ekpa, a self-acclaimed disciple of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of IPOB, had declared a total lockdown in the south-east geopolitical zone from July 3 to 10.

Sit-at-home was introduced by IPOB to protest the detention of Kanu.

Emma Powerful, IPOB spokesperson, has since countered the order, saying Ekpa does not speak for the group.

The Enugu government said there were no recorded cases of attacks after government officials conducted an assessment to verify the reported incidents.

He said the “peddlers and instigators of the fake news and pandemonium are already being tracked down by the government and security agencies to bring them to book”.

“Therefore, the Enugu state government urges members of the public to disregard the falsehoods and fake images being spread on social media and go about their businesses, as security measures are entirely in place to enforce law and order and safeguard lives and property,” he said.

“We must not succumb to the evil machinations of those, who have no stake in our state; those who mostly live, work, and educate their children overseas, while destroying the economy of our people and the education and future of our children at home.

“The government hereby reiterates that the ban on sit-at-home in Enugu state will be enforced to the full extent of the law. All offices, markets, business premises, schools, among others, remain open and fully functional. Those who want to test the collective resolve and strength of Ndi Enugu will not only be defeated but will be meted the full wrath of the law.”

Since assuming leadership in Enugu, Peter Mbah, governor of the state, has repeatedly asked residents to ignore the IPOB sit-at-home order in the state.

On Tuesday, the state government threatened to shut down schools and markets observing the one-week sit-at-home order issued by Ekpa.

Although the separatist group suspended the sit-at-home in September 2021, there have been reports of forceful, sometimes violent, enforcement of the order by suspected thugs in the geopolitical zone.