Chief of Army Staff deploys troops to counter IPOB’s sit-at-home order
Tamarauemi Ebimini
The Chief of Army Staff, Maj. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja has issued a directive to deploy troops to assert control over regions where the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) imposed a sit-at-home order in the South-East states.
Lagbaja’s directive comes in response to an announcement made by Finland-based pro-Biafra agitator, Simon Ekpa, who ordered a two-week sit-at-home protest scheduled to commence on Monday, July 31.
Ekpa said the protest’s aim, to demand the immediate and unconditional release of the IPOB leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, was sacrosanct, noting that the sit-at-home order was to facilitate the freedom of the Biafran nation, among other objectives.
The pro-Biafra agitator, however, warned that disobeying the sit-at-home order would have serious consequences.
The Director of Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu declared Ekpa’s announcement unlawful and stated that it would not be tolerated.
Nwachukwu said that the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, in collaboration with other security agencies, has been directed to conduct robust patrols, secure flashpoints, and ensure that citizens can freely carry out their lawful activities.
The army spokesperson, however, called upon Nigerians in the South-East region to disregard the sit-at-home order and encouraged them to support the security forces in their efforts to counter IPOB.
He noted that Ekpa, who claims leadership of IPOB, resides in Finland and issues command from there while expecting people in Nigeria to comply with his orders, which the army finds unacceptable.
Similarly, the Nigeria Police Force has vowed to resist the sit-at-home order in any part of the South-East.
The Force spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, confirmed that the police have taken action against non-state actors enforcing the order, resulting in arrests and the confiscation of weapons.
Adejobi assured South-East citizens that adequate security measures had been put in place to protect them and urged them to continue with their lawful activities.
