‘Sit-at-home order imposed by IPOB must stop’ – Amnesty Int’l, as criticisms against S/East group mount
Heavy criticisms have continued to trail the sit-at-home order directed by the secessionist group, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), with the latest coming from the global human rights watchdog, Amnesty International.
Amnesty, Monday, condemned the violence that has trailed the order’s implementation across the South East region on every Monday the directive is enforced.
While IPOB has continued to blame mischief makers for the unauthorized enforcement, even as it threatened to constitute a taskforce to confront those they called ‘fake enforcers’, as it stated that the sit-at-home order is only enforced on Mondays when its leader, Nnamdi kanu is to appear in court to continue his trial in Abuja.
However, the violence that has tainted almost every other Monday in the region has now provoked negative reaction against the group.
Many believe that the violence is perpetrated by IPOB group against those perceived to be defaulters of the order.
In its tweet on Monday, October 1, Amnesty wrote, “Violent implementation of the sit-at-home imposed by IPOB must stop.
“Attacking people or their places of business in the name of imposing sit-a-home order is a gross human rights abuse, and those behind it must be brought to justice through a fair trial.
“Violent implementation of the sit-at-home imposed by IPOB must stop. Attacking people or their places of business in the name of imposing sit-a-home order is a gross human rights abuse and those behind it must be brought to justice through a fair trial,” Amnesty railed.
Last week, the husband of the late Minister of Information and one time NAFDAC DG, Prof Dora Akunyili, Dr. Chike Akunyili was murdered at Nkpor, near Onitsha, Anambra State.
On Tuesday, South East leaders including; state governors, traditional rulers, National Assembly members, clerics, after a scheduled meeting in Enugu State also condemned the spate of killings in the region, specifically calling for end to the sit-at-home order by IPOB.
An 8-point communiqué issued after their meeting held in Lion Building, Government House, Enugu, read in part: “The Governors and leaders of the South East condemned the killings in the region and have agreed to join hands with security agencies to stop the killings.
“The meeting condemned the sit-at-home orders, which are mostly issued by our people in diaspora who do not feel the pains, the meeting resolved that Governors and all people of the South East do everything within the law to ensure that there is no further sit-at-home in the South East and that people are allowed to freely move about in the Zone.
“The meeting received the Committee report from Ohanaeze on various matters affecting the South East, especially on the issue of security and marginalization of the South East people, and resolved to study the reports from Ohanaeze Worldwide for immediate implementation, and engagement with the Federal Government for amicable settlement of all issues agitating the minds of our people, especially the youths.
“The meeting agreed to support security agencies to restore peace in the South East.”
Meanwhile, the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) has kicked against the appeal by the Indigenous People Of Biafra for the Middle Belt people to join its sit-at-home campaign.
In a statement by Yerima Shettima, the Arewa Youths National President, the group said the Northern region will not be a party to “a deliberate, politically-motivated plan to undermine or worsen the nation’s current security challenges.”
The AYCF said the North had come a long way in understanding the use of constitutional and democratic means of channelling legitimate grievances, and could not therefore, be a party to any undemocratic move.
The group added that since the governors of the South-East seem to be satisfied with the activities of IPOB, “we hope they will continue with the sit-at-home for another ten years and we wish them the very best of luck. We know the South-East is IPOB’s home but exporting their activities to the North will be faced with massive resistance from all lovers of peace in the North”.
AYCF also condemned what it described as the use of killings and arson to press home a demand that the democratic process in existence would have to take care of.