IPOB sit-at-home: Total compliance in Aba

There was total compliance in Aba, the commercial nerve of Abia State as major markets, government and public institutions in Aba, the commercial nerve of Abia State on Wednesday closed for business to obey the sit-at-home order by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in honour of dead Biafra Heroes.

InfoNet9ja.com visited Ariaria, Cemetery, Ahia Ohuru (New Market), Shopping Center, Ehi road, Ama Ogbonna, Uratta, Afo Ule, Ahia Nkwo and other markets to meet them devoid of their usual daily hustling and bubbling in the markets.

Azikiwe, Faulks, Okigwe, Asa, Port Harcourt, Aba-Owerri, Ikot Ekpene roads and Osisioma junction which is regarded as the busiest roads and major motor parks in the commercial city witnessed less patronage as a result of drop in human and vehicular traffic.

Banks along Okigwe road, Aba-Owerri road were seeing carrying out skeletal operations, while those along Faulks road and near Ariaria were totally closedown. This is even as private and public schools stayed away from their various schools.

Though police patrol vans were sighted at the headquarters of the three local governments of Osisioma, Aba North and South civil servants for fear of the unknown couldn’t come to work despite a circular from the Head of Service of the State, Sir Onyi Wamah directing all permanent secretaries to take staff attendance that will be submitted to his office thereafter.

Though the exercise was more relapsed than last year’s sit-at-home, commuters who spoke to our reporter recounted the hardship they passed through getting to their locations as there were few vehicles on the road to convey them to their destinations.

Other respondents who managed to open for business in some parts of the town lamented the loss they suffered as a result of the sit-at-home order which was what scared their customers away from coming to patronize them.

Some members of the IPOB including Jude Okereke expressed their happiness that Aba residents and its environs heeded to their sit-at-home and stated that the group would continue to push for a Sovereign State of Biafra despite all forms of intimidating tendencies of the federal government and its agencies.

According to Okereke, Wednesday’s compliance by Aba residents affirmed the statement by their leader, Nnnamdi Kanu who described Aba as the capital of Biafra Land.

Reports from Umuahia, the Abia State capital has it that there were normal trading activities with security officers on alert to deal with any form unrest if the need be.