By Ngwuoke Ngwuoke
Against the backdrop of a one week sit at home directive by factional leader of proscribed Indigenous Peoples Of Biafra, IPOB, the Enugu State Government has come out strongly to urge residents to ignore the call.
The order was observed briefly on Wednesday when Ekpa’s foot soldiers reportedly descended on some parts of the Coal City to enforce the order.
Normalcy returned after some hours.
In the evening, a video clip went viral showing sit at home enforcers forcing staff and pupils of an unnamed primary school to lay in the open and being punished for attending school.
The video clip has been widely criticized.
It’s against this background that the Secretary to Enugu State Government,
Professor Chidiebere Onyia, issued a statement Thursday urging people to go about their normal businesses on Friday.
The statement:
“he Enugu State Government wishes to remind citizens and residents of the state that work, business, schooling and other legitimate endeavours will continue tomorrow being Friday, July 7, 2023.
“The government directs offices, schools, business premises, markets, including Ogbete Main Market, among others, to open for business.
“Failure to comply with this directive will be deemed as willful undermining of government’s policy and efforts to restore full working days, productivity, and entrepreneurship in the state, and will as such be met with appropriate sanctions.
“Government urges members of the public to disregard any scaremongers and go about their businesses, as security measures are fully in place to continue to enforce law and order and safeguard lives and property.
“It is noteworthy that many enemies of Enugu State and Igbo land, the hoodlums, anarchists, and criminal elements, who hide under freedom agitation to perpetrate destruction, violent crimes, as well as those who engage in scaremongering through fake videos and images, have been tracked down, apprehended and are being brought to book.
“We are winning the war and therefore call on Ndi Enugu to volunteer information to the authorities on any suspicious person and movement as well as those who use the social media to spread rumours and instigate panic among the members of the public.”
