…As Ohanaeze Ndigbo tasks South-east govs to take charge
Two persons were reported killed and a police van set ablaze by some gunmen enforcing the 5-day sit-at-home order issued by the Simon Ekpa’s faction of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) group.
The incident happened in the early hours of Saturday.
Reports quoting an eyewitness said the gunmen numbering over 10 stormed the New Market area within the Enugu metropolis, shooting sporadically and scaring people away.
Police spokesman in Enugu, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, however, said that the Command has restored normalcy and a crack team deployed to hunt down the miscreants.
Residents, he said, through a statement, should go about their lawful businesses and disregard the five-day sit-at-home order.
The statement read:
The Commissioner of Police, CP Ahmed Ammani, has ordered Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers, and Commanders of all the Tactical/Operational Units of the Command to ensure the maximum deployment of all the Command’s intelligence and operational resources at their disposal, to effectively patrol and fish out miscreant or miscreants that may want to disturb public peace and security, and/or disrupt the businesses and otherwise activities of law-abiding citizens, under the guise of enforcing illegitimate sit-at-home order.
2. Consequently, the CP has reassured that the Command, collaborating with other security agencies and law-abiding citizens, will never rest on its oars in ensuring that the lives and property of the citizenry are protected against the undesirable activities of disgruntled and misguided criminal elements, hellbent on causing unwarranted havoc to selves and fellow citizens.
3. The commissioner, therefore, urges all and sundry to remain vigilant, go about their lawful businesses, and resist succumbing to the antics of the miscreants, including the spread of tension-causing fake news. He also enjoins them to continue to support and cooperate with the Police and other security agencies, in their unwavering quest to quell the activities of criminal elements.
4. Meanwhile, normalcy has been restored at the New Market axis of Enugu, and a crack team of police operatives deployed to hunt down the armed hoodlums, who shot sporadically and breached public peace in the area.
5. To this end, the good people of the State have been called upon to remain law-abiding, and security conscious and promptly report criminal suspects and their activities to the nearest Police Station or call the Command’s emergency hotlines on 08032003702, 08075390883, 08098880172 or 08086671202; or alternatively send emails to infoenugupolice@gmail.com.
Meanwhile, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has implored the South-East governors to end the sit-at-home ‘order’ forced on residents by separatist agitators in the region.
The organisation bemoaned the damage the order has done to the economy of the region, and lives of the residents.
The National Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze, Dr Chiedozie Ogbonnia, advised governors in the region to prioritise the welfare of the residents, and end the activities of the “freedom fighters”.
He said: “This is the first time I am seeing freedom fighters or whatever, facing the barrel of the gun inwards, crippling the economy and destroying people. What is going on is very strange. Some of them think that by chanting, ‘Biafra Biafra,’ they will become Ojukwu. Unfortunately, they don’t know how we got here.
“I don’t understand how somebody can wake up from his house and begin to chant Biafra. It is nonsense. Anyone who wants Biafra should let us discuss for us to know whether we are embarking on it or not. This Biafra has created problems for us in the South-East.”
Ogbonnia continued: “It is crippling the South-East economy, creating militancy and also unnecessary restiveness among the youth. It’s painful that somebody can wake up to begin to broadcast a sit-at-home (order). We condemn it vehemently and we ask that people should go about their businesses. The governments of the South-East states should rise to the occasion and ensure that citizens and businesses are protected.