IPOB Sit-At-Home: Panic As Schools Declare Emergency Holiday

Following the sit-at-home directive issued by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Monday, May 31, 2021, throughout the South-East region, private and missionary schools have declared an emergency holiday.

It was gathered that residents in Owerri and environs are also in panic mode and have resulted in panic buying to service the possible fallout of the order.

While some schools were shut down till Tuesday next week, others gave their pupils one week’s rest at home, Goldennewsng reports.

A message from schools run by the Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri asked parents to keep their children at home from Thursday, May 27, to Tuesday, June 1, 2021.

The message from the Directorate of Education, Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri, read, “Leveraging on the already scheduled public holiday for tomorrow, we have considered it expedient to allow the students/pupils enjoy a longer weekend to resume on Tuesday, June 1, 2021.

“Boarding students should not be forced to go home. Those who wish to stay back in school should be taken care of.”

But the Imo State Government has asked the people to ignore the separatist group’s sit-at-home order.

The state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba, said that the state government had the capacity to enforce law and order during and after the period.

IPOB had said all markets, parks, schools, airports and others in the South-East would be shut down to mark the anniversary of the Biafra 54 years ago.

A statement by IPOB’s Director of Media and Publicity, Emma Powerful, on Thursday, read in part, “We, the global family of the Indigenous People of Biafra, ably led by the prophet of our time, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, wish to announce once again that this year’s annual Biafra Remembrance Day and candlelight procession will take place on Sunday night, 30th of May, while a sit-at-home and total lockdown takes place on Monday, 31st of May, 2021, and not May 30 as earlier announced.

“The adjustment is to enable churches to hold their normal services on Sunday, May 30, without any obstruction. But there will be no human or vehicular movement throughout Biafra land on Monday, May 31.

“Every person in Biafra land is, therefore, advised to observe a sit-at-home order on Monday, May 31, 2021. That day is a sacred day in Biafra land in honor of the over five million Biafrans massacred by the wicked Nigeria forces during the civil war.

“There will be a total lockdown all through Biafra land on that day as we remember all our fallen heroes and heroines, including agitators, who have paid the supreme price in the course of our struggle for independence since 1967 till date.

“All markets, filling stations, motor parks, airports, seaports, banks, schools, etc as well as social activities in Biafra land are to be shut down on that day. Everyone is to remain indoors in Biafra land from 6 am to 6pm on that day. People are to stock their houses with food items before that day so they won’t have a need to shop on that day.”