An 18-seater bus burnt by enforcers of the sit-at-home order in Anambra, Tuesday
Sit-at-home order: IPOB sets up taskforce to checkmate ‘hoodlums parading as enforcers’
[From CHINEDU NWAFOR, Abakaliki]
An 18- seater bus and a tricycle were on Tuesday set ablaze by suspected members of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) allegedly enforcing the sit-at-home order declared by the group.
IPOB has announced that Tuesday would be a sit-at-home day in the entire South-East region to honour the victims of September 14, 2017, military invasion of the country home of their leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, in Abia State.
However, the ill-fated commuter bus which was conveying passengers and heading for Awka, it was gathered, was intercepted at Afor Udo Nanka in Orumva North local council and burnt to ashes, while the tricycle operator was stopped and matcheted and his tricycle set ablaze along the popular Arthur Eze Road in Awka.
IPOB had in a statement condemned similar incident that occurred in Imo State on Monday where students were prevented from writing their West African School Certificates examination paper and some motorcycles and part of a school block was set on fire.
A statement signed by IPOB’s spokesman, read: “IPOB strongly condemns the barbaric act by hoodlums and mentally deranged fellows who disrupted a WAEC exam in a school in Imo State on Monday. What a stupid madness! Whoever was behind such barbarity must be made to pay for their actions.
“IPOB leadership is hereby promising to replace those motorbikes burnt in the school to their owners and rebuild school blocks burnt by hoodlums in the name of ESN and IPOB volunteers, this is not to portray or indicate that IPOB committed the heinous crimes against our people and promise to set up taskforce to checkmate those parading themselves as IPOB volunteers and those committing this crime against humanity and our people.
“We plead to Biafrans to bear with us for this dastardly act against humanity they are using to disrepute and demomize IPOB in the world. We are calling on the school management and those their properties were destroyed to contact any IPOB office near to them for possible payments of their properties”.
Powerful said IPOB was a responsible organization with reasoning and empathy, adding: “We cannot be part of the problem we are trying to solve. We cannot join the enemies to compound the woes of our people we are fighting to liberate.
“That was why we suspended the ghost Mondays that we earlier declared because of the economic implications to our people. We listened to appeals by the people and reviewed our stance on the matter then.
“That was why we reduced the sit-at-home protests to the days our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu will be making appearances in court. That is enough for now and we stand by it.
“Anybody trying to impose another sit-at-home order on our people or enforce illegal or imaginary sit-at-home is not IPOB, and must be dealt with. Such a person (s) are working with the enemies to disrepute IPOB, and we won’t tolerate such stupidity.”
