Partial activities recorded in Anambra, residents lament

Partial activities were recorded in major cities of Anambra State on Monday as banks, markets, motor parks, business centres, petrol stations and public premises remained shut over sit-at-home.

There was no record of violence as residents remained indoors while some gathered in groups and were discussing matters of interest.

Some people used the day to hold various clubs, union and town meetings.

Although, there have been improved activities on Mondays in the past few weeks, where the Monday sit-at-home seems to be gradually subsiding in Anambra.

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A faction of the Indigenous People of Biafra had raised palpable tensions in the region when it announced a five-day sit-at-home from December 9-14 in a video that circulated online last Tuesday.

But the tension was reduced when in a swift reaction, the Media and Publicity Secretary of IPOB, Emma Powerful, issued a statement directing the people to ignore the order, describing it as “wicked”.

Following the development, commercial and economic activities that were beginning to improve on Mondays witnessed a massive reduction of activities as there were very few vehicles plied the road while most roads remained almost totally empty.

Our correspondent who went around the major cities of Onitsha, Nnewi and some parts of Awka, gathered that most people stayed indoors for fear of attack, because of the unpalatable happenings in neighbouring states of Enugu, Ebonyi and Imo in the past few days.

Most residents expressed sadness at the developments, lamenting that the situation is worsening the economic fortunes of the people and the region in general.

A resident of Onitsha and a businessman (names withheld) while narrating his ordeal said, “We are now leaving like refugees in the South-East and always in fear as a result of the senseless sit-at-home.

“These guys should know that they are only setting the South-East backwards with this behaviour and the earlier they realised it, the faster the region will start coming out of the mess they have plunged it into.”

Another resident, a teacher, who identified herself as Tina Prosper, blamed the South-East governors for their failure to nip the situation in the bud.

“The sit-at-home is taken the South-East backwards and it’s a pity that the governors are just watching while these groups of people continue to unleash mayhem on the whole region. It is just a pity. People have abandoned their ancestral homes and taken refuge in foreign lands. We just hope they realise this before it’s too late,” she added.