Banks, Shops, Schools Remain Shut Over Sit-at-home In Ebonyi

Economic activities were brought to a halt in Abakaliki, the capital of Ebonyi State, as residents observed the sit-at-home ordered by the Indigenous People of Biafra, on Wednesday.

It was reported that the Wednesday sit-at-home recorded total compliance by people in Ebonyi.

The leadership of IPOB, had last week, announced a sit-at-home exercise for Wednesday, May 18, and Thursday, May 26, 2022, because according to it, its Leader Nnamdi Kanu, would be appearing in court for the two days.

Its Director of Media and Publicity, Emma, had in a statement, urged citizens of the South-East geopolitical zone, not to heed to any other sit-at-home other than these two days (May 18 and May 26).

However, economic activities were locked down in the region, on Monday and Tuesday (May 16 and May 17, 2022), owing to a purported sit-at-home declared by a dissident arm of the group.

Our correspondent, who monitored activities in Abakaliki, on Wednesday morning, observed that banks, schools, markets, shops, and even government offices, were shut as a consequence of the exercise.

Schools and businesses owned by government officials and politicians in the state didn’t show any sign of life in them as well.

From Hope High Schools owned by former Governor Sam Egwu to CSMT owned by a former Chief of Staff to Governor David Umahi, Mr. Okorie, our correspondent observed that neither pupils nor teachers were sighted within the schools’ premises.

Also, on major roads and streets in the capital city such as Onwe Road, Ogoja Road, Water Works Road, Afikpo Road, Enugu/Abakaliki Road, and Spera-In-Deo Roundabout, there was no sign of economic life, and shops, schools, offices were under lock and key.

At the premises of banks such as Access, Gtbank, Ecobank, Fidelity, Zenith, First, and First City Monument Bank, in the capital city, our correspondent saw stranded customers wishing to access services of the banks, but to no avail.

The gates of the banks were under lock and key. Customers, who were trying to use the Automated Teller Machines, did that on a “Trial And Error” basis.

A customer in one of the banks, Morris Nwakpa, said the sit-at-home was crippling the economic activities of the South-East geopolitical zone.

According to him, This is getting worse by the day and we are the ones suffering it. How can this be happening in a region such as the South-East, and our leaders are not doing anything to address it?

“This sit-at-home is all about the non-release of the Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, and if that be the case, why can’t our leaders swing into action and see how to ensure that Nnamdi Kanu is released. See what we, the ordinary citizens are suffering. This is worrisome,” he lamented.